An automated precise Winkler titration for determining dissolved oxygen on board ship

An automated titration for the Winkler method is presented for measuring primary productivity in the ocean. The system is based on a microcomputer-controlled titration with potentiometric endpoint detection. By the use of 0.005-N sodium thiosulfate as a titrant and a program designed to shorten the time for measuring, the method achieves a precision of 0.04% coefficient of variation with a range of 0.01 to 0.10% for six replicates of samples at oxygen concentration of 70 to 250 M. It takes about four to five minutes to measure one sample.     

AFM study on surface nanotopography of matrix olivines in Allende carbonaceous chondrite

By means of nanoscale surface observation, we have proposed a new approach for investigating fine crystals of cosmic materials to reveal their origin and growth conditions. Several different morphologies of polyhedral fine olivines with faceted faces have been found in Allende carbonaceous chondrite (4.5 byr in geochronological age). In the present work, molecular level topography of the faceted matrix olivine by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has successfully been performed. The matrix olivine found to have preserved growth step pattern on its surface even though quite long time has passed since they formed in the early Solar System. The surface pattern suggests that the faceted matrix olivine could have been condensed from the gas phase, and possibly that these olivine crystals had continued to grow under a rapid cooling condition (0.1-1 K s⁻¹). The estimated cooling rate agrees well with predictions based on hypothetical rapid heating and cooling events such as shock wave heating.     

Résultats préliminaires sur la sédimentation pélagique de l'Atlantique tropical au Crétacé et au Tertiaire (plateau de Demerara,Leg ODP 207)

Five sites located on a bathymetric transect of the distal Demerara Rise were studied by ODP Leg 207. Albian sediments of essentially terrigenous nature (clay, siltstone, sandstone) are the oldest drilled stratigraphic levels and form apparently the top of the synrift sequence. They are overlain by Cenomanian to Santonian finely laminated black shales, rich in organic matter of marine origin, which accumulated on a thermally subsiding ramp. Early Campanian hiatuses are thought to be the result of final disjunction of Demerara Rise (South America) from Africa and the onset of deep water communication between the two Atlantic basins (south and central). The overlying Uppermost Cretaceous–Oligocene chalk includes rich and diversified calcareous plankton assemblages, as well as two radiolarian-rich intervals (Late Campanian and Middle Eocene). A complex erosional surface developed during the Late Oligocene–Early Miocene. Sedimentation was impeded since then on the intermediate and deep sites of Demerara Rise, possibly due to the action of deep submarine currents. To cite this article: T. Danelian et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

First recorded eruption of Mount Belinda volcano (Montagu Island), South Sandwich Islands

The MODVOLC satellite monitoring system has revealed the first recorded eruption of Mount Belinda volcano, on Montagu Island in the remote South Sandwich Islands. Here we present some initial qualitative observations gleaned from a collection of satellite imagery covering the eruption, including MODIS, Landsat 7 ETM+, ASTER, and RADARSAT-1 data. MODVOLC thermal alerts indicate that the eruption started sometime between 12 September and 20 October 2001, with low-intensity subaerial explosive activity from the islands summit peak, Mount Belinda. By January 2002 a small lava flow had been emplaced near the summit, and activity subsequently increased to some of the highest observed levels in August 2002. Observations from passing ships in February and March 2003 provided the first visual confirmation of the eruption. ASTER images obtained in August 2003 show that the eruption at Mount Belinda entered a new phase around this time, with fresh lava effusion into the surrounding icefield. MODIS radiance trends also suggest that the overall activity level increased significantly after July 2003. Thermal anomalies continued to be observed in MODIS imagery in early 2004, indicating a prolonged low-intensity eruption and the likely establishment of a persistent summit lava lake, similar to that observed on neighboring Saunders Island in 2001. Our new observations also indicate that lava lake activity continues on Saunders Island.Editorial responsibility: J. Gilbert     

Orbital‐ and millennial‐scale paleoceanographic changes in the north‐eastern Japan Basin,East Sea/Japan Sea during the late Quaternary

Two gravity sediment cores (GH99‐1239 and GH99‐1246) obtained from the north‐eastern Japan Basin in the East Sea/Japan Sea were analyzed for the orbital‐ and millennial‐scale paleoceanographic changes. Chronostratigraphically, core GH99‐1239 represents a continuous sedimentary record since 32 ka, based on correlation of distinct lithological markers (i.e. dark layer or TL layer) with those in core GH98‐1232 collected nearby. For core GH99‐1246, the age model is constructed through correlation of lightness (L*) values and tephra (Aso‐4 and Toya) layers with those in the well‐dated Oki Ridge core (MD01‐2407), indicating about 134 ka of sedimentation since the latest Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6. New geochemical data from both cores corroborate orbital‐scale paleoceanographic variation, such that surface‐water productivity, represented by biogenic opal and total organic carbon (TOC) contents, increased during MIS 1 and MIS 5; CaCO₃ contents do not show such distinct glacial–interglacial cycles, but were influenced by dissolution and preservation rather than foraminiferal production. During the glacial periods when sea ice was prevalent, surface‐water productivity was low, and bottom‐water conditions became anoxic, as indicated by high total sulfur (TS) contents and high Mo concentrations. The geochemical data further document millennial‐scale paleoceanographic variability, corresponding to a series of thin TL layers in response to Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles but irrespective of the glacial or interglacial periods. In particular, thin TL layers formed during MIS 3 are characterized by less TOC (about 1%) and TS (about 0.4%) contents and lower Mo (about 5 p.p.m.) concentration, whereas those during MIS 4 and MIS 5 exhibit more TOC (up to 4%) and TS (up to 5%) contents and higher Mo (up to 120 p.p.m.) concentration. Such a discrepancy is attributed to different degree of surface‐water productivity and of bottom‐water oxygenation, which is closely related to the sea level position and extent of ventilation. Flux of the East China Sea Coastal Water controlled by millennial‐scale paleoclimatic events is the most critical factor in deciding the properties of TL layers in the north‐eastern Japan Basin. Our results strongly confirm that TL layers in the Japan Basin also validate the unique feature of basin‐wide paleoceanographic signals in the East Sea/Japan Sea. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A highly sensitive and large concentration range colorimetric continuous flow analysis for ammonium concentration

A continuous flow method for the determination of ammonium concentration in seawater from a nanomolar to a micromolar level is described. To prevent spurious peaks derived from salinity difference, a gas-permeable hydrophobic membrane filter was used to separate the manifold into an outgassing section and an indophenol blue reaction section. The indophenol blue reaction section was adopted for colorimetric analysis and is equipped with a 1-m path length liquid capillary cell and a fiber-optic spectrometer, which is able to record the absorbance at multiple wavelengths. The minimum detection limit at wavelength 630 nm is 5.5 ± 1.8 nM, and the calibration curves are linear to at least 2,000 nM. In addition, the minimum detection limit at wavelength 530 nm was 13 ± 5.3 nM, and linear calibration curves were observed until at least 10,000 nM. The slopes of the calibration curves were similar for standards prepared using filtered seawater and ultrapure water. The ammonium concentration of the ultrapure water was similar to those of ion-exchanged water and unfiltered low-nutrient seawater, but was significantly lower than those of filtered seawater and solutions that contained sodium hydroxide. Therefore, ultrapure water is optimal for both blank and standard preparations because of its stable quality and availability. Given its large concentration range and the use of readily available blanks, this method is suitable for the determination of ammonium concentration and helps our understanding of ammonium dynamics in the ocean.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional systems and the palaeogeography of the Dogger Bank, North Sea

3D seismic data from the Dogger Bank, North Sea, allow the mapping of Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional systems in unprecedented detail. The data demonstrate that glacial processes resulted in the development of incised tunnel valley systems during the Weichselian and that these were subsequently modified by fluvial processes in a pro-glacial setting. Subsequently, the Dogger Bank formed an emergent plain during the Holocene with a complex meandering river system, associated tributary or distributary channels and lakes, dominating the region. Prior to the sea level rising sufficiently to submerge the Dogger Bank around 7500 yr ago, the meandering river system was replaced by a dendritic channel network of potential fluvial, estuarine or intertidal origin. As the Holocene depositional features bear no systematic relationship to the bathymetry this study demonstrates that previously published bathymetry-based models for the Holocene palaeogeographic development of the North Sea require modification.     

Channel change following European settlement: Gilmore Creek,southeastern Australia

European settlement in southeastern Australia led to rapid changes in the morphology of many upland streams. However, our knowledge of the nature of these changes is limited as historical records and preserved palaeochannels are rare. In this study we compare a well‐preserved section of the late Holocene palaeochannel of Gilmore Creek to its present channel. We used a combination of map and aerial photograph interpretation, field survey, OSL dating and discharge analysis to describe and compare the modern and palaeochannels and establish a firm date for the timing of channel change. In common with many other streams in southeastern Australia Gilmore Creek's late Holocene channel meandered across a stable well‐vegetated and frequently inundated floodplain. After about 1830 European settlers quickly modified the catchment by clearing riparian and hillslope vegetation, introducing grazing animals and other exotic species and mining for alluvial gold in the headwaters. The OSL dates show that between about 1850 and 1880 the small meandering channel aggraded with coarse sands and then up to about 1 m of silty sand was deposited over the floodplain. Declining sediment input from upstream channel avulsion before 1890 resulted in the establishment of a straighter, larger capacity channel that incised to the level of basal cobbles and, in places, to bedrock. The dramatic change in channel pattern resembles that described on the Cann River in eastern Victoria following the removal of riparian vegetation and within‐channel coarse woody debris. At Gilmore Creek increased channel capacity has greatly reduced the average frequency of floodplain inundation. High values of specific stream power suggest that channel morphology is now well adjusted to the present flow regime. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.