Study on Nitrogen Dynamics at the Sediment–Water Interface of Dongting Lake,China

Eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs has become a worldwide environmental problem, and nitrogen (N) has been recognized as one of the key factors responsible for eutrophication. Nitrogen adsorbed on sediments may be released via chemical and biological processes under changing environmental conditions. Spatial distributions of concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺–N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃ ^?–N) and total nitrogen (TN) were investigated in sediments and overlying water of Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China. The concentration of TN in the sediments exhibited strong spatial variation with relatively high values in the eastern part and relatively low values in the southern part of the lake. The TN concentration in the water of different regions of Dongting Lake was affected by the internal load of sediment N. The vertical distribution of TN in sediment cores showed a decreasing trend with an increase in depth. Concentrations of NH₄ ⁺–N in the sediment cores decreased with the depth increase until 6–8 cm and then increased slowly. However, concentrations of NO₃ ^?–N in the sediment cores showed an opposite trend from those of NH₄ ⁺–N. A kinetic release experiment of NH₄ ⁺–N showed that the maximum release rate occurred in the first 5 min and the amount of NH₄ ⁺–N release reached 77.93–86.34 % of the total amount in 0–10 min. The release of NH₄ ⁺–N in the surface sediments of Dongting Lake fits a first-order kinetics function.     

The Influence of Element Diffusion at the Sediment—Water Interface on the Basic Chemical Composition of Overlying Water Mass in Lake Lugu,China

Little work has been done on the influence of seiments on the basic chemical composition of overlying water mass.This paper deals with the vertical profile of the basic constituents such as Ca^ ,K^ ,Na^ ,and HCO3^-,as well as of pH in the overlying water mass and sediment porewater of Lake Lugu-a semi-closed,deep lake in Yunnan Province.The reand sediment porewater of Lake Lugu- a semi-closed,deep lake in Yunnan Province.The results revealed that those basic constituents may diffuse and transport from bottom sediments to overlying water mass through porewater.In the paper are also quantitatively evaluated the diffusive fluxes and the extent of their influence on overlying water mass,indicating that the lake sediment-water interface diffusion plays an important role in controlling the basic chemical composition of water in the whole lake.     

Surface Water Metabolism Potential in a Tropical Estuary,Hilo Bay,Hawai’i,USA, During Storm and Non-storm Conditions

Surface water gross primary production potential (pGPP), respiration (RESP), metabolism potential (pMET), and CO₂ fluxes in Hilo Bay, Hawai’i, USA, were examined along two river plumes during storm (high-flow) and non-storm (low-flow) conditions. Significant differences in pGPP, RESP, and pMET were found between low- and high-flow conditions, with lowest rates of all processes occurring during high-flow conditions. CO₂ fluxes were influenced by metabolic processes at all but one site, with the bay’s surface waters being autotrophic and a sink for atmospheric CO₂ during low-flow conditions and less autotrophic and a source of atmospheric CO₂ during high-flow conditions. Significant differences in pMET were found between the two river plumes during low-flow conditions at spatial scales of 1.5 km; however, no differences between river plumes were found during high-flow conditions. Our study suggests that an increase in storms associated with global climate change could impact surface water metabolic dynamics of tropical estuaries.     

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.     

Public perceptions on coastal erosion in the Maltese Islands: a case study of St George’s Bay (St Julians) and Pretty Bay (Birżebbuġa)

With 60% of the world’s population living within the coastal zone, coastal erosion is considered as a global problem. The coasts of the Maltese Islands hold a variety of formations resulting from coastal erosion. Beach nourishment is one of the protective measures taken against coastal erosion. This paper focuses on two of the nourished beaches within the Maltese Islands, St George’s Bay (St Julians) and Pretty Bay (Birżebbuġa), that have undergone extensive sand augmentation during the past decades and looks at the extent of how coastal erosion and beach replenishment may have influenced public perception. Through a triangulation of interviews, it seeks to understand the views of beach users, researchers, representatives, and beach managers. It presents divergences in interviewee opinions and ideas on St George’s Bay and Pretty Bay and illustrates that public perception tends to reflect the type of urban area surrounding each replenished beach. Recommendations and suggestions are also presented to promote awareness towards coastal processes and their impacts.

     

Calibration of a Bio-optical Model in the North River, North Carolina (Albemarle–Pamlico Sound): A Tool to Evaluate Water Quality Impacts on Seagrasses

Seagrasses are typically light limited in many turbid estuarine systems. Light attenuation is due to water and three optically active constituents (OACs): nonalgal particulates, phytoplankton, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Using radiative transfer modeling, the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of these three OACs were linked to the light attenuation coefficient, K _PAR, which was measured in North River, North Carolina, by profiles of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Seagrasses in the southern portion of Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System (APES), the second largest estuary in the USA, were found to be light limited at depths ranging from 0.87 to 2 m. This corresponds to a range of K _PAR from 0.54 to 2.76 m^?1 measured during a 24-month monitoring program. Turbidity ranged from 2.20 to 35.55 NTU, chlorophyll a from 1.56 to 15.35 mg m^?3, and CDOM absorption at 440 nm from 0.319 to 3.554 m^?1. The IOP and water quality data were used to calibrate an existing bio-optical model, which predicted a maximum depth for seagrasses of 1.7 m using annual mean water quality values and a minimum light requirement of 22% surface PAR. The utility of this modeling approach for the management of seagrasses in the APES lies in the identification of which water quality component is most important in driving light attenuation and limiting seagrass depth distribution. The calibrated bio-optical model now enables researchers and managers alike to set water quality targets to achieve desired water column light requirement goals that can be used to set criteria for seagrass habitat protection in North Carolina.     

Authigenic carbonate burial in the Late Devonian–Early Mississippian Bakken Formation (Williston Basin,USA)

Late Devonian (Famennian) marine successions globally are typified by organic-rich black shales deposited in anoxic and euxinic waters and the cessation of shelf carbonate sedimentation. This global ‘carbonate crisis’, known as the Hangenberg Event, coincides with a major extinction of reef-building metazoans and perturbations to the global carbon cycle, evidenced by positive carbon-isotope excursions of up to 4‰. It has been suggested that authigenic carbonate, formed as cements in sedimentary pore spaces during early burial diagenesis, is a significant mass fraction of the total global carbon burial flux, particularly during periods of low oxygen concentration. Because some authigenic carbonate could have originated from remineralization of organic carbon in sediments, it is possible for this reservoir to be isotopically depleted and thereby drive changes in the carbon isotopic composition of seawater. This study presents bulk isotopic and elemental analyses from fine-grained siliciclastics of the Late Devonian–Early Mississippian Bakken Formation (Williston Basin, USA) to assess the volume and isotopic composition of carbonates in these sediments. Carbonate in the Bakken black shales occurs primarily as microscopic disseminated dolomite rhombs and calcite cements that, together, comprise a significant mass-fraction (ca 9%). The elemental composition of the shales is indicative of a dynamic anoxic to sulphidic palaeoenvironment, likely supported by a fluctuating chemocline. Despite forming in an environment favourable to remineralization of organic matter and the precipitation of isotopically depleted authigenic carbonates, the majority of carbon isotope measurements of disseminated carbonate fall between −3‰ and +3‰, with systematically more depleted carbonates in the deeper-water portions of the basin. Thus, although there is evidence for a significant total mass-fraction of carbonate with contribution from remineralized organic matter, Bakken authigenic carbonates suggest that Famennian black shales are unlikely to be sufficiently ¹³C-depleted relative to water column dissolved inorganic carbon to serve as a major lever on seawater isotopic composition.     

Impacts of European settlement (1840–present) in a Great Lake watershed and lagoon: Frenchman’s Bay, Lake Ontario, Canada

The northern shore of Lake Ontario is one of the longest settled parts of Canada beginning around 1795. Accelerated settlement and deforestation after 1840 resulted in massive soil loss from easily-eroded Pleistocene glacial landscapes and the siltation of creeks and lagoons. Channel capacity was reduced but river flow was enhanced by diminished infiltration resulting in straightening of meandering channels, accelerated erosion of stream banks, increased incidence of downstream flooding and large influxes of mud to Lake Ontario. Conservation measures after World War II were successful but rapid urban sprawl after 1970 hardened watersheds and badly impacted the quality and quantity of surface and ground waters flowing to Lake Ontario. The Frenchman’s Bay watershed (27 km²) 50 km east of Toronto is one of the country’s most urbanized (pop: 100,000; 76 % urban cover) and is crossed by Canada’s busiest highway (Highway 401). The watershed drains to Lake Ontario through a coastal lagoon (Frenchman’s Bay) in which pre-settlement postglacial carbonate is abruptly overlain by a ‘European settlement’ mud layer rich in weed pollen and organic debris; the uppermost ‘urban’ part of this deposit shows elevated level of metals and other contaminants. This layer records soil loss after 1840 and more recently, the influx of contaminated urban waters and sediment. Some 7,600 tonnes of road salt have been applied to the lagoon watershed each year producing spikes of brackish surface runoff during winter thaws. Some 50 % of the total salt applied to the entire watershed is conveyed directly to Frenchman’s Bay Lagoon via surface runoff; the rest enters the groundwater system resulting in year-round brackish baseflow to creeks. Chloride continues to be stored in underlying aquifers such that the system has yet to reach a steady-state discharge. Future salinity of baseflow reaching the lagoon can be expected to increase by about 40 %. Rapid migration of contaminated groundwater is facilitated by the widespread presence of thick (<8 m) coarse-grained and heterogeneous fill materials of the built landscape. The watershed is experiencing ongoing changes in land use as urban infilling proceeds. The aquatic ecology of inflowing creeks to the lagoon has been greatly impacted resulting in major loss of wetlands and submergent vegetation and distinct changes in the structure of fish populations. This is the most detailed study of an urban watershed in Canada; lack of knowledge elsewhere is a constraint on the design and testing of mitigation measures and is a major impediment to assessing the impact of ongoing climate change on urban water resources, and the effects of urban runoff on Great Lakes water quality.     

The Disastrous Water—Stone Flow in the Kyngarga River (Republic of Buryatia) on June 27–29, 2014, according to Seismological Data

Doklady Earth Sciences - This paper reports on the results of the seismic studies on the disastrous water-stone flow passing down the Kyngarga River (Republic of Buryatia) on June 27–29,...     

Mineralogy,diagenesis and hydrochemical evolution in a probertite–glauberite–halite saline lake (Miocene,Emet Basin,Turkey)

The Emet basin is one of the Neogene basins in western Turkey containing significant amounts of borate minerals, mainly colemanite. The petrologic study of core samples from two exploratory wells in the Do?anlar sector, under optic and electron microscopy, reveals a complex mineral association in which probertite, glauberite, and halite constitute the major primary phases (without mineral precursors) precipitated in a saline lake placed in a volcano-sedimentary context. Other sulfates (anhydrite, gypsum, thenardite, celestite and kalistrontite), borates (colemanite, ulexite, hydroboracite, tunellite, kaliborite and aristarainite), and sulfides (arsenopyrite, realgar and orpiment) are attributed to early diagenesis. So far, the Do?anlar deposit is the most important deposit of probertite known up to now.Chemical changes in the groundwater inflow led to the precipitation of Ca-bearing borates (colemanite) in the tuff-flat environment surrounding the lake, while Na–Ca sulfates and borates (glauberite and probertite) precipitated in the center of the lake. Fluid inclusion compositions in halite indicate that the advanced brines correspond to the Na-K-Cl-SO₄ type. During restricted stages of the saline lake, the residual brines seeped through the tuff-flat sediments, leading to transformations of previous precipitates that resulted in the formation of K-bearing minerals.The abundance of coccoid-like biogenic dolomite, colloidal arsenopyrite and the isotopic composition of sulfates are indicative of bacterial sulfate reduction. In contrast, arsenic sulfides are attributed to acidophilic micro-organisms in oxidizing conditions. Fluctuations of redox conditions in both free and interstitial brines control the biological influence in some diagenetic transformations.     

PGE geochemistry of the Eagle Ni–Cu–(PGE) deposit, Upper Michigan: constraints on ore genesis in a dynamic magma conduit

The Eagle Ni–Cu–(PGE) deposit is hosted in mafic–ultramafic intrusive rocks associated with the Marquette–Baraga dike swarm in northern Michigan. Sulfide mineralization formed in association with picritic magmatism in a dynamic magma conduit during the early stages in the development of the ~1.1?Ga Midcontinent Rift System. Four main types of sulfide mineralization have been recognized within the Eagle deposit: (1) disseminated sulfides in olivine-rich rocks; (2) rocks with semi-massive sulfides located both above and below the massive sulfide zone; (3) massive sulfides; and (4) sulfide veins in sedimentary country rocks. The disseminated, massive and lower semi-massive sulfide zones are typically composed of pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite, whereas the upper semi-massive sulfide ore zone also contains pyrrhotite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite, but has higher cubanite content. Three distinct types of sulfide mineralization are present in the massive sulfide zone: IPGE-rich, PPGE-rich, and PGE-unfractioned. The lower and upper semi-massive sulfide zones have different PGE compositions. Samples from the lower semi-massive sulfide zone are characterized by unfractionated PGE patterns, whereas those from the upper semi-massive sulfide zone show moderate depletion in IPGE and moderate enrichment in PPGE. The mantle-normalized PGE patterns of unfractionated massive and lower semi-massive sulfides are subparallel to those of the disseminated sulfides. The results of numerical modeling using PGE concentrations recalculated to 100% sulfide (i.e., PGE tenors) and partition coefficients of PGE between sulfide liquid and magma indicate that the disseminated and unfractionated massive sulfide mineralization formed by the accumulation of primary sulfide liquids with similar R factors between 200 and 300. In contrast, the modeled R factor for the lower semi-massive sulfide zone is <100. The fractionated sulfide zones such as those of the IPGE-rich and PPGE-rich massive sulfides and the upper semi-massive sulfide zone can be explained by fractional crystallization of monosulfide solid solution from sulfide liquids. The results of numerical modeling indicate that the sulfide minerals in the upper semi-massive sulfide zone are the products of crystallization of fractionated sulfide liquids derived from a primary sulfide liquid with an R factor similar to that for the disseminated sulfide mineralization. Interestingly, the modeled parental sulfide liquid for the IPGE-rich and PPGE-rich massive sulfide zones has a higher R factor (~400) than that for the unfractionated massive sulfide mineralization. Except one sample which has unusually high IPGE and PPGE contents, all other samples from the Cu-rich sulfide veins in the footwall of the intrusion are highly depleted in IPGE and enriched in PPGE. These signatures are generally consistent with highly fractionated sulfide liquids expelled from crystallizing sulfide liquid. Collectively, our data suggest that at least four primary sulfide liquids with different R factors (<100, 200–300, ~400) were involved in the formation of the Eagle magmatic sulfide deposit. We envision that the immiscible sulfide liquids were transported from depth by multiple pulses of magma passing through the Eagle conduit system. The sulfide liquids were deposited in the widened part of the conduit system due to the decreasing velocity of magma flow. The presence of abundant olivine in some of the sulfide ore zones indicates that the ascending magma also carried olivine crystals. Sulfide saturation was attained in the parental magma due in large part to the assimilation of country rock sulfur at depth.     

Deciphering a multistage history affecting U–Cu(–Fe) mineralization in the Singhbhum Shear Zone,eastern India,using pyrite textures and compositions in the Turamdih U–Cu(–Fe) deposit

The ～200-km-long intensely deformed Singhbhum Shear Zone (SSZ) in eastern India hosts India’s largest U and Cu deposits and related Fe mineralization. The SSZ separates an Archaean cratonic nucleus to the south from a Mesoproterozoic fold belt in the North and has a complex geologic history that obscures the origin of the contained iron-oxide-rich mineral deposits. This study investigates aspects of the history of mineralization in the SSZ by utilizing new petrographic and electron microprobe observations of pyrite textures and zoning in the Turamdih U–Cu(–Fe) deposit. Mineralization at Turamdih is hosted in intensively deformed quartz–chlorite schist. Sulfides and oxides include, in inferred order of development: (a) magmatic Fe(–Ti–Cr) oxide and Fe–Cu(–Ni) sulfide minerals inferred to be magmatic (?) in origin; followed by (b) uranium, Fe-oxide, and Fe–Cu(–Co) sulfide minerals that predate most or all ductile deformation, and are inferred to be of hydrothermal origin; and (c) Fe–Cu sulfides that were generated during and postdating ductile deformation. These features are associated with the formation of three compositionally and texturally distinct pyrites. Pyrite (type-A), typically in globular–semiglobular composite inclusions of pyrite plus chalcopyrite in magnetite, is characterized by very high Ni content (up to 30,700 ppm) and low Co to Ni ratios (0.01–0.61). The textural and compositional characteristics of associated chalcopyrite and rare pyrrhotite suggest that this pyrite could be linked to the magmatic event via selective replacement of magmatic pyrrhotite. Alternatively, this pyrite and associated sulfide inclusions might be cogenetic with hydrothermal Fe-oxide. Type-B pyrite that forms elongate grains and irregular relics and cores of pyrite with high Co contents (up to 23,630 ppm) and high Co to Ni ratios (7.2–140.9) are interpreted to be related to hydrothermal mineralization predating ductile deformation. A third generation of pyrite (type C) with low Co, low Ni, and moderate Co to Ni ratios (0.19–13.93) formed during and postdating the ductile deformation stage overgrowing, replacing, and surrounding type-B pyrite. The textural evolution of pyrite parallels the tectonometamorphic evolution of the shear zone demonstrating grain elongation during progressive ductile deformation and prograde metamorphism, annealing at the peak metamorphic condition, porphyroblastic growth at the retrograde path and cataclasis following porphyroblastic growth. Compositional characteristics of hydrothermal pyrite and available geological information suggest that the U–Cu(–Fe) deposit at Turamdih might be a variant of the Fe oxide (–Cu–U–rare earth elements) family of deposits.     

Changes in vegetation condition in areas with different gradients (1980–2010) on the Loess Plateau, China

This study characterized and compared changes in vegetation condition in areas with different gradients during the past three decades across the entire Loess Plateau. For this purpose, changes in vegetation type and vegetation coverage at sites with 0 – 15° and >15° slope gradients were determined by analyzing land use data and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, respectively. The software Arc/Info 9.3, land use transformation matrix, linear regression analysis, and Mann–Kendall test were used for the data processing and analysis. Policy influences, human impacts, and climate variability were also taken into account to find the reasons for vegetation condition change. The results indicated that the “Grain-For-Green” project achieved initial success. Areas of farmland and grassland changed most extensively, and far greater areas of farmland were transformed into forest and grassland than vice versa. Moreover, the conversion of farmland to forest and grassland mainly occurred in areas where slopes exceeded 15°, while grassland was mainly changed to farmland in areas with gentle slopes. Vegetation coverage on the Loess Plateau exhibited overall increases after the implementation of “Grain-For-Green” project. Regions with sparse vegetation have declined sharply, mostly in steeply sloped areas. Vegetation coverage has increased significantly in most regions, particularly in the parts traversed by the principal sediment source of the Yellow River, which could help to control the severe soil and water losses. However, regions with sparse vegetation on the Loess Plateau still covered 71.1 % of the total area in 2010. Therefore, it is important to further increase vegetation coverage in the future.