Minor improvement for intertidal seaweeds and invertebrates after acid mine drainage diversion at Britannia Beach, Pacific Canada

In December 2001, acid mine drainage (AMD) from an abandoned copper mine at Britannia Beach (British Columbia, Canada) was diverted to flow from Britannia Creek into an outfall at 30 m depth in Howe Sound. Britannia Beach was studied in early 2003 to determine whether AMD diversion resulted in improved conditions for intertidal organisms. Species number and abundance have increased at the intertidal zone since AMD diversion, although they were still lower than at an unpolluted control site nearby (Furry Creek). Survivorship and growth rates of transplanted Mytilus trossulus (mussel) have increased since AMD diversion, although they were still significantly lower than at the control site. Transplanted Fucus gardneri (seaweed) performed better than before the AMD diversion; at Britannia Beach the chlorophyll a concentration in tissues was not significantly different from that at the control site, although the concentration of chlorophyll c in tissues and the chlorophyll c to a ratio was lower than at the control site six weeks after transplantation. Britannia Beach is still subject to leaching of metals from surrounding soils, low levels of AMD coming down the creek, and AMD discharge from the deep outfall. Although there has been an improvement, the intertidal environment at Britannia Beach still seems unable to support normal growth and survival of organisms.     

Fractionation of the noble metals by physical processes

During partial melting in the earth’s mantle, the noble metals become fractionated. Os, Ir, Ru, and Rh tend to remain in the mantle residue whereas Pt, Pd, and Re behave mildly incompatible and are sequestered to the silicate melt. There is consensus that sulfide plays a role in the fractionation process; the major noble metal repository in the mantle is sulfide, and most primitive mantle melts are sulfide-saturated when they leave their mantle sources. However, with sulfide–silicate partitioning, the fractionation cannot be modeled properly. All sulfide–silicate partition coefficients are so extremely high that a silicate melt segregating from a mantle source with residual sulfide should be largely platinum-group elements free. We offer a physical alternative to sulfide–silicate chemical partitioning and provide a mechanism of generating a noble metal-rich melt from a sulfide-saturated source: Because sulfide is at least partially molten at asthenospheric temperature, it will behave physically incompatible during melt segregation, and a silicate melt segregating from a mantle residue will entrain molten residual sulfide in suspension and incorporate it in the basaltic pool melt. The noble metal abundances of a basalt then become independent of sulfide–silicate chemical partitioning. They reflect the noble metal abundances in the drained sulfide fraction as well as the total amount of sulfide entrained. Contrary to convention, we suggest that a fertile, sulfide-rich mantle source has more potential to generate a noble metal-enriched basaltic melt than a refractory mantle source depleted by previous partial melting events.     

Contamination of some reservoirs and lakes in Republic of Bulgaria by microcystins

This paper presents the results from analyses of water samples from 15 Bulgarian reservoirs and lakes for detection of microcystins presence by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a ultraviolet (UV) and photo diode array (PDA) detector. In 3 of the studied drinking water reservoirs cyanobacterial blooms were not detected. Cyanobacterial blooms were observed in 6 of 12 investigated water bodies used for fishing and water sports. Microcystis was the dominant cyanobacterial genus. The concentration of total microcystins in the biomasses ranged from 8 to 1070 μg g^–1 (d.w.). Microcystin‐LR and microcystin‐RR were the predominant microcystins, followed by microcystin‐YR. Presence of dissolved microcystins was obtained in one water sample with concentration of total microcystins 1.64 μg L^–1. Presence of microcystin‐LF and ‐LW or unknown peaks possessing characteristic microcystin‐like UV‐spectra were not detected. Those first results for occurrence of microcystins in some Bulgarian reservoirs and lakes are a contribution to the knowledge on their distribution.     

Adjustments in channel morphology due to land‐use changes and check dam installation in mountain torrents of Calabria (southern Italy)

In Mediterranean semi‐arid conditions, the availability of studies monitoring channel adjustments as a response to reforestation and check dams over representative observation periods, could help develop new management strategies. This investigation is an integrated approach assessing the adjustments of channel morphology in a typical torrent of southern Italy after land‐use changes and check dam construction across a period of about 60 years. A statistical analysis of historical rainfall records, an analysis of land‐use changes in the catchment area and a geomorphological mapping of channel adjustments were carried out and combined with field surveys of bed surface grain‐size over a 5‐km reach including 14 check dams. The analysis of the historical rainfall records showed a slight decrease in the amount and erosivity of precipitation. Mapping of land‐use changes highlighted a general increase of vegetal coverage on the slopes adjacent to the monitored reaches. Together with the check dam network installation, this increase could have induced a reduction in water and sediment supply. The different erosional and depositional forms and adjustments showed a general narrowing between consecutive check dams together with local modifications detected upstream (bed aggradation and cross‐section expansion together with low‐flow realignments) and downstream (local incision) of the installed check dams. Changes in the torrent bends were also detected as a response to erosional and depositional processes with different intensities. The study highlighted: the efficiency of check dams against the disrupting power of intense floods by stabilizing the active channel and the influence of reforestation in increasing hillslope protection from erosion and disconnectivity of water and sediment flows towards the active channel. Only slight management interventions (for instance, the conversion of the existing check dams into open structures) are suggested, in order to mobilize the residual sediment avoiding further generalized incision of the active channel and coast line erosion. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modélisation glacio-hydrologique et gestion des ressources en eau dans les Andes équatoriennes : l’exemple de Quito

La forte croissance socio-économique de Quito a conduit à d’importants projets de transferts interbassins, intensifiant la mobilisation des ressources d’altitude situées dans des zones écologiques sensibles et connaissant une fonte accélérée des glaciers. Afin d’étudier divers scénarios d’évolutions, nous proposons une modélisation du continuum climat/glacier/hydrologie/gestion des ressources en eau. Utilisant l’outil Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP), nous avons développé : (1) une modélisation hydro-climatologique semi-distribuée avec des données mensuelles homogénéisées par vectorisation régionale ; (2) une modélisation de la production en eau des glaciers et de leur évolution interannuelle ; (3) une modélisation en unités hydrologiques distinguant différentes couvertures de sols ; et (4) une modélisation de la gestion distinguant droits, allocation et usages de l’eau. Nous présentons les résultats du calage hydrologique mensuel (1963–2006), en étudiant particulièrement l’équifinalité de diverses paramétrisations. Nous montrons la souplesse, la robustesse et les limites de la modélisation proposée, contribuant à cerner différentes incertitudes dans l’évaluation de scénarios prospectifs.     

Characteristics of the Flare Phenomenon in Blazar AO0235+164 in Gamma,Optical, and Radio Bands

The active core of the galaxy AO0235+164 is monitored in the optical and radio bands at millimeter wavelengths. Using the multifrequency data obtained in gamma, optical and radio bands, the characteristics of its radiation in the active phase of 2015–2016 are studied. The cross-correlation method was used to determine the delays of the 2015 flare that took place in AO0235+164 in different bands. The analysis made it possible to establish that, in comparison with the previous flare phenomena, changes in the orientation of the emissions (jets) have occurred. The angle θ between the jets and the direction towards the observer has decreased by a factor of \(\sqrt 2 \), resulting in a twofold increase in the γ-factor. The obtained value γ ≈ 40 is the most extreme value ever observed in AO0235+164 over the entire span of observations.     

Atacama Field Campaign: laboratory and in-situ measurements for remote sensing applications

This work presents the preliminary results of the first field calibration campaign performed in the Atacama Desert, Chile, between the 18 and 22 August 2014, called the Atacama Field Campaign (ATAFIC 2014). In situ measurements were performed in order to spectrally characterize the surface reflectance spectra between 0.3 and 2.5?µm, radiometric temperature (8.0–14.0?µm) and atmospheric measurements. A soil sample was collected and analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction techniques to characterize the surface reflectance spectra and mineralogical composition, respectively. ASTER land surface emissivity in addition to GOES, MODIS and Landsat-8 land surface temperature (LST) were also used. Results showed that the spectral features of the Atacama soil and the characteristics of this geographical zone, which is featured as the most hyper-arid and cloudless place in the world, make this area a potential target for surface reflectance characterization. Day and night LST comparison between field and remote sensing data are lower than 2?K and the Root Mean Square Error for land surface emissivity is close to 2%. This work opens the possibilities to consider the Atacama Desert as a reference target for calibration and validation activities for earth observation missions’ purposes.