A study on the flux,speciation, and budget of mercury in controlled experimental ecosystems

The lowest addition of mercury (0.1 ug Hg 1⁻¹) was used in CEEs for research on mercury flux, speciation and budget. The removal behavior of mercury by phytoplankton in water columns of CEEs can be described by first order kinetic equations for total and particulate mercury in the CEE spiked by mercury. The removal rate of mercury in water columns depends on the size and productivity of phytoplanton in a water column to which mercuric ions were added. A 4.4 day half-life time and a 2.8 day half-life time for total and particulate mercury respectively was obtained in diatom bloom. During microflagellate bloom a 30 day total mercury half-life time was estimated with increase of particulate mercury in the water column. The 0.010 ug Hg cm⁻²y⁻¹ mercury flux rate that was attained in the control bag agreed with the values from field measurements in Saanich Inlet where the bags were launched. The proportion of total mercury to dissolved and particulate mercury depended also on the size, productivity, and concentration of mercury in a water column. A more or less constant distribution of mercury species in the control bag was observed as follows: dissolved Hg 0.73, particulate Hg 0.27, inorganic Hg 0.42, dissolved organic Hg 0.31. After spiking with mercury, the particulate mercury rose rapidly and reached to over 70% of the total mercury. The concentration factor of mercury by phytoplankton in the CEEs in the order of 10⁵ was consistent with the results from field measurements in Saanich Inlet. The mercury recovery from the water column, sediment, water with sediment, and the CEE bag walls was only 52.3% of total mercury spiked in the CEE. The losses of mercury by vaporization into the ambient air and diffusion through the wall of the enclosure should be considered. This paper was published in Chinese inOcean. Limn. Sinica,17(4):307–317, 1986.     

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating of quartz-bearing eclogite from the Sanbagawa Belt, south-west Japan: implications for metamorphic evolution of subducted protolith

In order to decipher the origin of eclogite in the high‐P/T Sanbagawa metamorphic belt, SHRIMP U–Pb ages of zircons from quartz‐bearing eclogite and associated quartz‐rich rock (metasandstone) were determined. One zircon core of the quartz‐rich rock yields an extremely old provenance age of 1899 ± 79 Ma, suggesting that the core is of detrital origin. Eight other core ages are in the 148–134 Ma range, and are older than the estimated age for trench sedimentation as indicated by the youngest radiolarian fossil age of 139–135 Ma from the Sanbagawa schists. Ages of metamorphic zircon rims (132–112 Ma) from the quartz‐rich rock are consistent with metamorphic zircon ages from the quartz‐bearing eclogite, indicating that eclogite facies metamorphism peaked at 120–110 Ma. These new data are consistent with both the Iratsu eclogite body and surrounding highest‐grade Sanbagawa schists undergoing coeval subduction‐zone metamorphism, and subsequent re‐equilibration under epidote amphibolite facies conditions during exhumation.     

Lubbock Lake: Late Quaternary cultural and environmental change on the Southern High Plains,USA

Lubbock Lake (Southern High Plains of Texas) contains a cultural, faunal, and floral record within a virtually complete geological record spanning the past 11 100+ years. More than 88 archaeological occurrences have been excavated from five major stratigraphic units. The Paleoindian record (11 500–6500yr BP) begins with Clovis-age occupation (ca. 11 100yr BP) found within fluvial deposits (stratum 1). Subsequent Paleoindian occupations are found in lake and marsh sediments (stratum 2). Archaic occupations (8500-2000yr BP) are contained within aeolian and marsh deposits (strata 3 and 4). Ceramic occupations (2000-500yr BP) are found on a soil developed in stratum 4, in marsh sediments (strata 4 and 5), and in slopewash and aeolian sediments (stratum 5). The Protohistoric (500-300yr BP) and Historic (300-100yr BP) remains are in slopewash, aeolian, and marsh sediments (stratum 5) and associated soils. The Southern High Plains remained a grasslands throughout the last 11 500 years and neither man nor bison abandoned the region. The successive local faunas reflect changing ecosystems under pluvial to arid to more mesic to semiarid conditions. The occupation of Lubbock Lake through time appears to have been by small groups of people for both economic and short-term residential uses. These hunter-gatherer peoples underwent adaptive change brought about by climatic stress and alterations to food resources.     

Oxidation of Sb(III) to Sb(V) by O2 and H2O2 in aqueous solutions

The rates of Sb(III) oxidation by O₂ and H₂O₂ were determined in homogeneous aqueous solutions. Above pH 10, the oxidation reaction of Sb(III) with O₂ was first order with respect to the Sb(III) concentration and inversely proportional to the H⁺ concentrations at a constant O₂ content of 0.22 × 10⁻³ M. Pseudo-first-order rate coefficients, k_obs, ranged from 3.5 × 10⁻⁸ s⁻¹ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹ at pH values between 10.9 and 12.9. The relationship between k_obs and pH was:

     

Summary results from a pilot study conducted around an oil production platform on the Northwest Shelf of Australia

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) conducted a pilot study around the Harriet A oil production platform on the Northwest Shelf of Australia. We evaluated hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs) in bile and immunodetection of CYP1A-like proteins in two Australian tropical fish species, Gold-Spotted Trevally (Carangoides fulvoguttatus) and Bar-Cheeked Coral Trout (Plectropomus maculatus) to assess exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons associated with produced formation water (PFW). Additionally, the incidence of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria isolated from the liver and bile of all fish captured was examined. Low EROD activity was found in both species, with EROD activity in C. fulvoguttatus showing significant site differences. FACs and CYP1A protein levels in C. fulvoguttatus showed a clear trend in hydrocarbon exposure consistent with hydrocarbon chemistry data: Harriet A>Harriet C>reference site. P. maculatus showed elevated levels of FACs at Harriet A as compared to the reference site and demonstrated detectable levels of CYP1A-like proteins at these two sites. Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were found in the liver and bile of both species, yet there was no correlation by sites. Our results demonstrate that C. fulvoguttatus and P. maculatus have potential as indicator species for assessing the effects from exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons. Both FACs and CYP1A are providing warning signs that there is potential for biological effects on fish populations exposed to PFW around the Harriet A production platform.     

Effects of Io ejecta on Europa

We examine the effects of Io ejecta on the surface and environment of Europa. We find that the observed sulfur on the trailing side of Europa, when interpreted as a deposit in equilibrium between implanation of, and sputtering by, corotating Io ejecta, implies a slow loss of material from Europa by sputtering. From this we infer that the spectrum of particles sputtered from water ice is soft. The quantity of observed sulfur and its confinement to the trailing hemisphere appear to exclude significant implantation and sputtering by energetic heavy ions. We also conclude that the contribution from Europa to the magnetospheric plasma (even at Europa itself) is negligible compared to the matter ejected from Io.