Micropaleontological record of Holocene estuarine stages in the Bahía Blanca estuary,Argentina

Holocene paleoenvironmental changes have been interpreted on the basis of benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils recovered in samples from Napostá Grande Stream, Bahía Blanca estuary, southern Buenos Aires Province. Samples are fine sands and clay sediments from a Holocene outcrop and were studied with quantitative techniques. The benthic foraminiferal assemblage is dominated by Ammonia parkinsoniana, Ammonia tepida, Bolivina pseudoplicata, Bolivina striatula, Bolivina sp., Buccella peruviana, and Elphidium spp. The calcareous nannofossil assemblage recovered is a typical cold-water association, dominated by Calcidiscus leptoporus, Coccolithus pelagicus, Emiliana huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica. A dendrogram classification by cluster analysis was made for each microfossil group. The results of these analyses were coincident, showing a liaison between changes in the assemblages of benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. Those results, jointly with the sedimentological information, lead to the identification of three different paleoenvironments along the Napostá N1 site. The lower part of the succession represents an estuarine environment with larger marine connection. The middle part represents a gradual passage to a more restricted estuarine environment, and the upper part represents the establishment of the modern continental fresh-water environment.     

Sorption and desorption of mercury(II) in saline and alkaline soils of Bahía Blanca, Argentina

The objective of this work was to study sorption–desorption and/or precipitation–dissolution processes of Hg(II) compounds considering an eventual contact of soils with Hg-bearing wastes. In addition, this study contributes new data about Hg(II) chemistry in alkaline systems. Saline and alkaline soils with low organic matter (<1 %) and high clay content (60–70 %) were obtained near a chlor-alkali plant. Batch techniques were used to perform the experiments using 0.1 M NaNO₃ solutions. Total Hg(II) concentrations ranged from 6.2 × 10^?8 to 6.3 × 10^?3 M. Sorption of Hg(II) was evaluated at two concentration ranges: (a) 6.2 × 10^?8 to 1.1 × 10^?4 M, and (b) 6.4 × 10^?4 to 6.3 × 10^?3 M. At low Hg(II) concentrations, adsorption occurred with a maximum sorption capacity ranging from 4 to 5 mmol/kg. At high Hg(II) concentrations, sorption–precipitation reactions occurred and maximum sorption capacity ranged from 17 to 31 mmol/kg. The distribution of Hg(II) hydrolysis products showed that Hg(OH)₂ was the predominant species under soil conditions. According to sorption experiments, X-ray diffraction and chemical speciation modelling, the presence of Hg(OH)₂ in the interlayer of the interstratified clay minerals can be proposed. Hg(OH)₂ was partially desorbed by repeated equilibrations in 0.1 M NaNO₃ solution. Desorption ranged from 0.1 to 0.9 mmol/kg for soils treated with 5.8 × 10^?5 M Hg(II), whereas 2.1–3.8 mmol/kg was desorbed from soils treated with 6.3 × 10^?3 M Hg(II). Formation of soluble Hg(II) complexes was limited by low organic matter content, whereas neutral Hg(OH)₂ was retained by adsorption on clay mineral surfaces.     

Comparison of components and distribution of heavy metals in sediments, suspended particulate matter and surface coatings in natural waters

Solid phases, such as surface coatings （SC）, suspended particulate matter （SPM） and deposited sediments （DS）, contribute to the pool of heavy metals in natural waters. Their existing and forming conditions lead to potential differences in enrichment capacity of pollutants, chemical compositions and crystals. In this study, the contents of heavy metals in SC, SPM and DS were determined by GF-AAS after digestion with a mixture of concentrated HNO3 and HClO4. The selective extraction method was employed to remove Fe, Mn oxides and organic matters and associated heavy metals （Cu, Pb, Zn）. X-ray diffraction analyses were performed to characterize the crystals in the samples. The results showed that no significant difference in the contents of Fe-oxides in DS, SPM and SC was found, but the contents of Mn-oxides and organic matter follow the order of SC〉SPM〉DS. The significant crystal characters were observed in DS, SPM and SC, and the kinds of minerals and crystallization degree follow the order of DS〉SC〉SPM. In addition, quartz was the most important matter of crystals in the solid phases. Enrichment capacity follows the order of SPM〉SC〉DS for Pb, Cu and Zn. Organic matter was the major sorbent for Cu, and Mn oxides and organic matter played an important role in the enrichment of Zn. However, Pb was absorbed mainly by Fe oxides. Moreover, compared with Fe oxides and organic matter, Mn oxides had a great enrichment capacity for these metals. Although DS, SPM and SC were formed in the same water system, contents of chemical components, crystals and enrichment capacities to heavy metals were obviously different.     

Assessment of spatial distribution and possible sources of heavy metals in the soils of Sariseki-Dörtyol District in Hatay Province (Turkey)

In this study, total heavy metal content of soil and their spatial distribution in Sar?seki-Dörtyol district were analyzed and mapped. Variable distance grids (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 km) were established, with a total of 102 soil samples collected from two different soil depths (0–5 and 5–20 cm) at intersections of the grids (51 sampling point). Soil samples were analyzed for heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe, and Ni). The most proper variogram models for the contents of all heavy metal were spherical and exponential ones. The ranges of semivariograms were between 1.9 and 31.1 km. According to the calculated geoaccumulation (I _geo) values, samples from both soil depths were classified as partly to highly polluted with Cd and Ni and partly polluted with Cr and as partly polluted-to-not polluted with Pb and not polluted with Cu, Fe and Mn. Similar results were also obtained when evaluated by the enrichment factor. The contamination levels of the heavy metals were Ni > Cd > Cr > Pb > Zn > Cu > Co > Fe > Mn in decreasing order. The soils in the study area are contaminated predominantly by Cd and Ni, which may give rise to various health hazards or diseases. Cadmium pollution results primarily from industrial activities and, to a lesser extent, from vehicular traffic, whereas Ni contents in the study area result from parent material, phosphorus fertilizer, industries, and vehicles.     

Long-term change in eelgrass distribution at Bahía San Quintín,Baja California,Mexico, using satellite imagery

Seagrasses are critically important components of many marine coastal and estuarine ecosystems, but are declining worldwide. Spatial change in distribution of eelgrass,Zostera marina L., was assessed at Bahía San Quintín, Baja California, Mexico, using a map to map comparison of data interpreted from a 1987 Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre multispectral satellite image and a 2000 Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapping image. Eelgrass comprised 49% and 43% of the areal extent of the bay in 1987 and 2000, respectively. Spatial extent of eelgrass was 13% less (−321 ha) in 2000 than in 1987 with most losses occurring in subtidal areas. Over the 13-yr study period, there was a 34% loss of submerged eelgrass (−457 ha) and a 13% (+136 ha) gain of intertidal eelgrass. Within the two types of intertidal eelgrass, the patchy cover class (<85% cover) expanded (+250 ha) and continuous cover class (≥85% cover) declined (−114 ha). Most eelgrass losses were likely the result of sediment loading and turbidity caused by a single flooding event in winter of 1992–1993. Recent large-scale agricultural development of adjacent uplands may have exacerbated the effects of the flood. Oyster farming was not associated with any detectable losses in eelgrass spatial extent, despite the increase in number of oyster racks from 57 to 484 over the study period.     

Pyritization of iron and trace metals in anoxic fjord sediments (Nordåsvannet fjord,western Norway)

The accumulation and storage of trace metals in coastal sediments is an environmental concern. It is, therefore, important to understand better how these metals are bound or released under different redox conditions. This study of Fe and trace metal fixation under continuously anoxic conditions in the bottom sediments and the lower water column of the Nordåsvannet fjord in western Norway contributes further to such understanding. It allows investigation of both an end member redox state and one important mechanism of Fe and trace metal accumulation in sediments, the pyritization of Fe and trace metals. Pyrite formation occurs both in the water column and in the sediments of the Nordåsvannet fjord and favours the fixing of Fe and trace metals in the bottom sediments of the fjord. Thus, these sediments act as a continuous sink for Fe and trace metals. The DOP, and the degrees of trace metal pyritization for Mo, Ni and Cr correlate with organic matter content. While it is generally thought that Fe is the factor limiting pyrite formation in anoxic environments, this study found that degrees of pyritization of Fe (DOP) are clearly below 100%, and the availability of metabolizable organic matter is limiting pyrite formation. This is an important finding, because it indicates that increased supply of organic and mineral matter by higher runoff from land would further enhance the fixation of these metals in the fjord sediments, as would higher organic matter availability from increased productivity due to higher nutrient supply. The metals stored in the bottom sediments could be released into the biogeochemical cycle if redox conditions were to change from anoxic to suboxic or oxic. The fjord would then become a source rather than a sink for these metals.     

Contamination and distribution of heavy metals in urban soil in Zhangzhou City, Fujian, China

The urban environment quality is of vital importance as the majority of people now live in cities. Due to the continuous urbanization and industrialization with rapidly increasing economy in China, metals are continuously emitted into soils, imposing a great threat on human health. Urban soils might be affected by industrial activities, transport, agricultural practice, and waste disposal. An extensive survey was conducted in the highly urbanized Zhangzhou City （Fujian Province, China） using a systematic sampling strategy. Concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Cr and Ni were measured on 108 topsoil samples collected from parks （0-15 cm）, residential areas and suburban agricultural soils. Statistic approach （cluster analysis） was adopted for identification of natural and anthropogenic influence on heavy metal contents. The maps of metal concentrations in surface soils were made based on geographical information system （GIS） data. All of these aim at assessing the distribution of these heavy metals in the urban environment.     

Speciation and potential remobilization of heavy metals in sediments of the Taihu Lake, China

The species of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr in sediments of the Taihu Lake, China, have been analyzed using the sequential chemical extraction method. Variations in the chemical fractions of these metals and their geographic distributions have also been studied. For all five metals, the residual fraction is highest but the exchangeable fraction is lowest among all the fractions. Compared to other metals, Cd has the highest percentage in the exchangeable fraction, and Cr is associated mainly with the residual fraction. Cu in the organic fraction and Pb in the Fe-Mn fraction are the important species, whereas the lowest percentages are found for Cd in the organic fraction, Cu in the Fe-Mn oxide fraction and Pb in the carbonate fraction. With respect to spatial differences, the total contents in the non-residual fractions of the metals in bay sediments are found to be higher than those in other sediments. The fractions of Cd, Cu and Cr showed significant variations in different regions. The fractions of Pb and Zn, however, did not show significant variations in spatial distribution, suggesting different amounts and different paths of anthropogenic input for the metals. Comparisons of the metal speciation indicated that Cd might be the most bioavailable metal, followed by Pb.     

Mineralogy,composition and heavy metals’ concentration,distribution and source identification of surface sediments from the saline Maharlou Lake (Fars Province,Iran)

This study concerns the mineralogy, spatial distribution and sources of nine heavy metals in surface sediments of the Maharlou saline lake, close to the Shiraz metropolis in southern Iran. The sources for these sediments were studied by comparing the mineralogy and the distribution of heavy metals, using multivariate statistical analysis (correlation analysis and principal component analysis). The geochemical indices, including geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI), were used to assess the degree of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments. Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) have also been applied to assess its toxicity. The XRD analysis shows that the main minerals of the surface sediments are aragonite, calcite, halite and quartz, with small amounts of montmorillonite, dolomite and sepiolite. The total heavy metal contents in surface sediments decrease in order of Sr?>?Ni?>?Cr?>?Zn?>?Cu?>?Co?>?Pb?>?As >?Cd and the average concentrations of Sr, Ni and As exceeded more than 10, 5 and 3 times, respectively, by comparing with the normalized upper continental crust (UCC) values. The results of pollution indices (Igeo, CF and PLI) revealed that strontium (Sr), nickel (Ni) and arsenic (As) were significantly enriched in those sediments. Based on the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), Ni would infrequently cause toxicity. Multivariate statistical analysis indicated that the Ni, Co and Cr came mainly from natural geological background sources, while Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were derived from urban effluents (especially traffic emissions) and As originated from agriculture activities. Significant relationships of Sr with S, CaO and MgO in sediments suggest that Sr was derived from carbonate- and gypsum-bearing catchment source host rocks.     

Occurrence and distribution of “moganite” in agate/chalcedony: a combined micro-Raman, Rietveld, and cathodoluminescence study

Agate/chalcedony samples of different origin were investigated by performing Raman, X-ray diffraction (using Rietveld refinement), and cathodoluminescence measurements. These analyses were performed to measure the content and spatial distribution of the silica polymorph moganite, which is considered to represent periodic Brazil-law twinning of α-quartz at the unit-cell scale in agate/chalcedonies. Homogeneous standard samples including the nearly α-quartz free moganite type material from Gran Canaria were analysed in order to compare results of the X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy techniques and to provide a calibration curve for the Raman results. However, due to the different length scales analysed by the two techniques, the “moganite content” in microcrystalline SiO₂ samples measured by Raman spectroscopy (short-range order) was found to be considerably higher than the “moganite content” measured by X-ray diffractometry (long-range order). The difference is explained by the presence of moganite nanocrystals, nano-range moganite lamellae, and single Brazil-law twin-planes that are detected by vibrational spectroscopy but that are not large enough (in the sense of coherently scattering lattice domains) to be detected by X-ray diffractometry. High resolution Raman analysis provides a measure of the moganite content and its spatial variation in microcrystalline silica samples with a lateral resolution in the μm-range. Variations in the moganite-to-quartz ratio are revealed by varying intensity ratios of the main symmetric stretching-bending vibrations (A₁ modes) of α-quartz (465 cm⁻¹) and moganite (502 cm⁻¹), respectively. Traces of Raman microprobe analyses perpendicular to the rhythmic zoning of agates revealed that the moganite-to-quartz ratio is often not uniform but shows a cyclic pattern that correlates with the observed cathodoluminescence pattern (colour and intensity). Data obtained from an agate sample from a fluorite deposit near Okorusu, Namibia and from a volcanic agate from Los Indios, Cuba were selected for detailed presentation. Variations of cathodoluminescence and Raman data between single bands in agates suggest alternating formation of fine-grained, highly defective chalcedony intergrown with moganite, and coarse-grained low-defect quartz. Multiple zones indicate dynamic internal growth during a self-organizational crystallization process from silica-rich fluids. Received: 4 December 1997 / Accepted 19 June 1998     

Activity,Abundance, and Diversity of Nitrifying Archaea and Denitrifying Bacteria in Sediments of a Subtropical Estuary: Bahía del Tóbari,Mexico

Fixed nitrogen (N) removal from estuaries via coupled nitrification–denitrification plays a significant role in the global N cycle and the biogeochemistry of individual estuaries. Much of our understanding of these processes is drawn from temperate estuaries, yet tropical and subtropical estuaries may respond differently to N inputs. I tested the hypothesis that nitrification is limited within subtropical estuaries by comparing nitrification and denitrification potentials, and the abundance of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) and bacterial nitrite reductase (nirS) genes, across five sites in Bahía del Tóbari, Mexico. Sampling was conducted when agricultural runoff supplied substantial quantities of N (ca. 20–80 μM ammonium), yet nitrification was detected at a single site. Denitrification was measured at four sites, and three displayed nitrate uptake rather than net nitrification—indicating a N sink within these sediments. Bacterial nirS genes uniformly outnumbered archaeal amoA genes (3- to 49-fold) and were more abundant in the northern part of the estuary. Patterns of community similarity among different sites were also different for nirS and archaeal amoA: similarities between sites based on nirS were often greater than for amoA, and sites were more rarely statistically different from each other. While amoA abundance was inversely related to temperature, neither amoA nor nirS was correlated with nitrification or denitrification potentials. My results are broadly consistent with known and proposed patterns of nitrification and denitrification in subtropical estuarine sediments, including the idea that nitrification is limited within subtropical estuarine sediments.     

Determination and vertical distribution of nitrogen species in sediments of Funan Rivers, Chengdu City, China

Although numerous papers have been published on nutrients in Great Lakes, estuaries, continental shelf areas and marines in the aspects of determination, sediment-water-interface exchange, fluxes and budget estimation, eutrophication and microbial processes as well as modeling study, the knowledge of river condition （especially urban river） is uncertain and simply considered as a contributor to eutrophication of estuary. After a series of determinations of nitrogen species corresponding to ammonia-N （AN）, Kjeldahl-N （K-N）, and total nitrogen （TN） by means of National Standards for China, the nitrate ＆ nitrite （Nitr-N） and org-N were obtained by the difference of TN with K-N, and K-N with AN, respectively. Therefore, the behaviors of vertical distributions in overlying waters and porewaters in the Fu and Nan Rivers located in Chengdu City were achieved.     

Seasonal distribution of total mercury and methylmercury in sediments of the Wujiangdu Reservoir, Guizhou, China

The concentrations of total mercury and methylmercury in sediments were determined at the dam of the Wujiangdu Reservoir in different seasons. Total mercury (HgT) levels in the whole sediment profile were 254.2±47.0 ng/g in winter, 254.2±31.6 ng/g in spring, and 256.7±60.8 ng/g in summer, without significant variations in different seasons or at different depths. In contrast, the methylmercury (MeHg) compounds were most abundant at the sediment-water interface and decreased progressively with depth. MeHg contents of the sediments during different seasons are highly dependent on microbial activity, and seem to be higher when Hg (II)-methylating microorganisms are active. Thus, MeHg levels tend to rise in the loci where nutrient supplies and biological productivity are favorable. The percentage of HgT that is present as MeHg in the sediments increased gradually from December 2003 to April 2004 and to July 2004.     

Dualistic distribution coefficients of trace elements in the system mineral–hydrothermal solution. III. precious metals (Au and Pd) in magnetite and manganmagnetite

Distribution coefficients D of Au and Pd between magnetite (manganmagnetite) and ammonium chloride hydrothermal solution and the structural D^str and surface-related D^sur terms of these coefficients were determined at 450 and 500°С and a pressure of 1 kbar using internal sampling techniques. Quantitative data on the speciation of precious metals are obtained using the technique of statistical selections of analytical data on single crystals SSADSC and compared with LA-ICP-MS data. Both Pd and Au are elements compatible with magnetite and its manganoan variety: D^str is ≈3 for Pd and ≈1 for Au, although Au seems to weakly enrich fluid at 500°C: D^str ≈ 0.5–0.8. The trends of postmagmatic Pd and Au fractionation can thus strongly depend on the presence of spinel-group minerals, first of all, magnetite and its solid solutions. The dualistic nature of the distribution coefficients provides sound grounds to believe that both elements are highly compatible, with regard not only for the structural but also for the surface-related modes of their occurrence (D^sur ≈ 17 and ≈50–70 for Au and Pd, respectively). The maximum concentrations of structural modes of the elements are 5.3 ppm for Au and 5.1 ppm for Pd and were found in the solid solution whose jacobsite mole fractions were 0.82 and 0.49, respectively. The principal distribution patterns of the elements in crystals are confirmed by LA-ICP-MS data. Data on this system testify that the distribution coefficients of minor and trace elements are geochemically dualistic because of the abnormal absorption properties of nanometer-sized nonautonomous phases on the surface of ore minerals, and this dualism plays an important geochemical role.     

Methylmercury and total mercury distribution in the sediments of Baihua Reservoir, Guizhou Province, China

Mercury is an important pollutant in lakes. Methylmercury （MeHg）, the most toxic mercury species, which can be formed from inorganic mercury in lakes, can be bioaccumulated into high concentration in food chain and result in a potential threat to human beings. Sediments play an important role for the Hg biogeochemistry in the aquatic systems： Mercury methylation has been shown to be fastest in the surfacial sediments, where the microbial activity is highest. The formation of MeHg in lakes suggests that sediments and/or near-shore wetlands can be the sources of MeHg in aquatic environments. The Baihua Reservoir, located in the suburb of Guiyang, was impounded in 1966. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Guizhou Organic Chemical Plant which used inorganic mercury as catalyst to produce acetic acid, was responsible for the discharge of waste water with high mercury content.     

Fracture-aperture size—frequency,spatial distribution,and growth processes in strata-bounded and non-strata-bounded fractures,Cambrian Mesón Group,NW Argentina

In Cambrian Mesón Group, NW Argentina, small faults and three opening-mode fracture sets defined by orientation and cement texture (Sets 1–3) formed sequentially in sandstone that most likely had constant mechanical properties throughout deformation. Yet the opening-mode sets display contrasting fracture-aperture-size distributions, spacing patterns, and tendency to be bed bounded. Set 1 fractures are quartz-filled or -lined opening-mode fractures with crack-seal texture, having a wide range of opening-displacement (kinematic aperture) sizes; they are irregularly spaced and non-strata-bounded fractures. Set 1 macro and microfracture-opening-displacement sizes are well described by a power law with slope −0.8. Set 2 fractures are microscopic, mostly quartz filled and have characteristic aperture sizes, are probably not bed bounded and have either a near-random or clustered spatial distribution. Set 3 fractures are quartz-lined, opening-mode fractures with extensive open pore space, having a narrow (characteristic) opening-displacement size distribution; they are regularly spaced and stratabounded. Differences between Sets 1 and 3 can be accounted for by quartz deposition resisting fracture reopening to a greater extent for Set 1 during repeated, episodic growth, where crack-seal texture is present in fracture-spanning quartz. In contrast Set 3 fractures are nearly barren with only trace-cement deposits that did not resist opening. Power-law opening-displacement size distributions may be favored in cases where fracture growth is unequally partitioned amongst variably cemented fractures, whereas a characteristic size is favored where growth is unaffected by cementation. Results imply that thermal history and diagenesis are important for fracture-size-distribution patterning.