Weathering effects on the geotechnical properties of argillaceous sediments in tropical environments and their geomorphological implications

Outcrops of young, sedimentary, argillaceous rocks with well developed fabric display rapid changes in their properties when subject to tropical weathering. The change in the materials is often accompanied by mass movement activity and the geomorphological consequence in terms of landforms is usually the development of badlands topography. Detailed field and laboratory studies have been undertaken on the Joe's River Formation, Barbados, and the Lichi Melange, Taiwan. Both are sedimentary mudrocks with well developed, scaly fabrics. Physical and geotechnical laboratory tests have been conducted on samples collected from type site locations to elucidate associations between material properties, earth surface processes and landform development. While the inherent physical properties show little or no difference in the transition from unweathered to highly weathered materials, by applying the critical state model, the mudrock geotechnical properties can be shown to change significantly. As weathering commences, material strength surprisingly increases. Only after a period of more extensive weathering do mechanical properties confirm increasingly incompetent materials. The initial strength increase appears to be due to weathering-induced modification of the fabric. The subsequent strength drop is a product of weathering-induced modification of both the fabric and the in situ, intact sediment. It is suggested that by applying the critical state model, a greater consideration can be gained of the geotechnical response of the sediments to weathering.     

The effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on seabed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico

To assess the extent to which Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), sediment cores were analyzed in late 2005 from: a shallow shelf, a deeper shelf, and a marsh station. Sediment geochronology, fabric, and geochemistry show that the 2005 storms deposited ∼10 cm of sediment to the surface of a core at 5-12A. Bulk carbon geochemistry and PAH isomers in this top layer suggest that the source of sediment to the top portion of core 5-12A was from a relatively more marine area. Particulate PAHs in the marsh core (04 M) appeared unaffected by the storms while sediments in the core from Station 5-1B (deeper shelf) were affected minimally (some possible storm-derived deposition). Substantial amounts of PAH-laden particles may have been displaced from the seabed in shallow areas of the water column in the GOM by these 2005 storms.     

Predicting sediment discharges and erosion rates in deep time—examples from the late Cretaceous North American continent

Depositional stratigraphy represents the only physical archive of palaeo-sediment routing and this limits analysis of ancient source-to-sink systems in both space and time. Here, we use palaeo-digital elevation models (palaeoDEMs; based on high-resolution palaeogeographic reconstructions), HadCM3L general circulation model climate data and the BQART suspended sediment discharge model to demonstrate a predictive, forward approach to palaeo-sediment routing system analysis. To exemplify our approach, we use palaeoDEMs and HadCM3L data to predict the configurations, geometries and climates of large continental catchments in the Cenomanian and Turonian North American continent. Then, we use BQART to estimate suspended sediment discharges and catchment-averaged erosion rates and we map their spatial distributions. We validate our estimates with published geologic constraints from the Cenomanian Dunvegan Formation, Alberta, Canada, and the Turonian Ferron Sandstone, Utah, USA, and find that estimates are consistent or within a factor of two to three. We then evaluate the univariate and multivariate sensitivity of our estimates to a range of uncertainty margins on palaeogeographic and palaeoclimatic boundary conditions; large uncertainty margins (≤50%/±5°C) still recover estimates of suspended sediment discharge within an order of magnitude of published constraints. PalaeoDEMs are therefore suitable as a first-order investigative tool in palaeo-sediment routing system analysis and are particularly useful where stratigraphic records are incomplete. We highlight the potential of this approach to predict the global spatio-temporal response of suspended sediment discharges and catchment-averaged erosion rates to long-period tectonic and climatic forcing in the geologic past.     

An equilibrium profile model for retreating marsh shorelines in southeast Louisiana

Louisiana's coastal marshes are experiencing the highest wetland loss rates in the U.S., in part due to subsidence-driven relative sea-level rise. These marshes are also vulnerable to the erosive power of wave attack: 1) on the marsh edge adjacent to open-water bodies, and 2) after the marsh platform is submerged. Marsh shorelines in Barataria Bay, Breton Sound, and the active Balize delta of southeastern Louisiana were examined in areas where the subaerial marsh platform had disappeared since 1932. Vibracore transects of marsh and adjacent bay surface sediments (to 2 m depth) were analyzed using geotechnical, stratigraphic, and radiochemical (137-Cs and 210-Pb) methods, and the subaerial-to-subaqueous transition of the marsh was mapped for elevation using standard stadia rod transit and fathometer measurements. Results indicate that marsh edge erosion of the platform takes place subaqueously until water depths of 1.5 m are reached. This is observed even in interior pond regions, but the shoreface elevation profiles are a function of fetch: exposed open bay sites display greater incision (depth and rate) of the marsh platform than protected interior bay or pond sites. Core stratigraphy reveals that the outer part of the subaqueous platform switches from erosional to depositional as retreat proceeds, covering the incised marsh deposits unconformably with estuarine shelly muds. 137-Cs and excess 210-Pb activity indicates that these muds are deposited within a few decades of subaerial marsh loss. The consistency of the cross-shore profile results suggests that a single profile of equilibrium can approximate the morphology of eroding marsh edges in southeast Louisiana: platform stratigraphy and resistance to erosion have a limited effect on profile shape. This equilibrium profile and remote sensing images of shoreline change are used to estimate the sediment yield to adjacent estuarine areas by this process. On average, 1.5 m³ of sediment are yielded per m shoreline length annually from both Barataria Bay and Breton Sound. Due to the highly organic nature of the eroded sediment (30%), this supply of organic-rich material could significantly impact estuarine productivity and hypoxia on the Louisiana continental shelf.     

Diffusion of osmium in pyrrhotite and pyrite: implications for closure of the Re–Os isotopic system

In order to better constrain the extent to which common sulfide minerals will retain their osmium isotopic composition subsequent to crystallization, we have conducted experiments to quantify the diffusion behavior of osmium in pyrite and pyrrhotite. Experiments consisted of either (1) isothermal soaking of diffusion couples consisting of natural pyrite or pyrrhotite crystals packed against powdered Os-bearing Fe-sulfide or (2) ‘relaxation’ of initially high near-surface osmium concentrations produced in the latter experiments (pyrite only). Osmium penetration into samples was characterized by depth profiling using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) (pyrite) or electron microprobe analyses across sectioned run products (pyrrhotite). Results of the first type of diffusion experiment involving pyrite show only limited osmium penetration into sample surfaces, with the extent of penetration uncorrelated with run duration. Images of pyrite samples using atomic force microscopy show roughening of initially smooth surfaces as a consequence of step formation and suggest that osmium incorporation into the near-surface occurred by solute uptake during step growth and not by volume diffusion. Prolonged (1000⁺ h) ‘relaxation’ experiments revealed no additional osmium penetration into pyrite surfaces and based on the depth resolution for RBS, a maximum diffusion coefficient of 2.5×10⁻²³ m²/s at 500°C was calculated. Experiments involving pyrrhotite over the temperature range of 950–1100°C showed extensive osmium uptake and osmium concentration gradients that conform with Fickian diffusion behavior. We found that pyrrhotite Fe/S could be varied by changes in the composition of the starting material and osmium source and over the range of Fe/S produced in experiments (molar Fe/S=0.83–0.90), we observed no systematic variation in the osmium diffusion coefficient. Diffusion coefficients measured parallel to the a crystallographic axis were on average 1.4× higher than values measured parallel to c and regression of the c-axis data yielded the Arrhenius relation:

The application of these diffusion data to simple models of diffusive exchange during static or polythermal time–temperature histories is used to assess the conditions under which radiogenic osmium will be retained. During isothermal annealing, calculations indicate that the cores of millimeter-sized spherical pyrrhotite crystals undergoing diffusive exchange with an external osmium reservoir will have their initial compositions perturbed in ≤0.5 Ma at temperatures exceeding 400°C. Pyrite undergoing the same process at 500°C requires in excess of 10 Ma before crystal cores are affected. The relatively short ‘core retention’ time-scales for pyrrhotite indicates that this mineral may be prone to isotopic resetting following relatively brief crustal thermal events, thus possibly accounting for the scatter that commonly occurs in Re–Os isochrons generated from massive sulfide samples. Calculated closure temperatures (T_c) for osmium exchange in pyrrhotite yielded values of 300–400°C for grain sizes ranging from 10 to 1000 μm. These values of T_c are similar to those calculated for Ar retention in biotite, and considerably lower than for Sr in apatite and plagioclase, for example. Such low closure temperatures for pyrrhotite suggest this mineral will date the final stage in the cooling of a magmatic system and possibly be susceptible to open system osmium exchange in the presence of late-stage hydrothermal fluids. This latter result infers that caution be applied when interpreting elevated initial osmium isotopic ratios as a product of crustal assimilation at the magmatic stage.     

Identifying when microbes biosilicify: The interconnected requirements of acidic pH, colloidal SiO2 and exposed microbial surface

This study demonstrates discernible biosilicification of natural microbial mats through batch laboratory experiments. Identification of the geochemical requirements for this process to occur includes thermodynamically favorable, but sluggish silica reaction kinetics associated with acidic conditions, and the necessity for colloidal silica rather than dissolved silicic acid species. This study provides the first results to bridge the apparent literature discrepancy between widespread, in-situ observations of microbial silicification, and the inability to demonstrate a detectable microbial impact in this process under well-constrained laboratory conditions. We compared the silica scavenging abilities of three natural microbial mats collected from Yellowstone National Park (YNP) hotsprings, relative to those of both abiotic particle (TiO₂) and solution controls at constant, near-saturated aqueous silica concentrations, while experimental pH and temperature conditions were varied, using both dissolved and colloidal SiO₂ forms. We specifically evaluated three microbial mats sampled from YNP sites all exhibiting saturation with respect to amorphous SiO₂, but possessing variable pH and temperature conditions that should reflect differential kinetics (and therefore biological opportunity) relative to silica polymerization: (1) most biologically favorable, acidic-mesophile (AM: pH 3, T = 35 °C); (2) biologically possible, but less opportune, alkaline, mesophile (ALK-M: pH 8, T = 35 °C) and (3) unlikely to be biologically favorable, alkaline-thermophile (ALK-T: pH 8, T = 80 °C). Comparison of field and laboratory results substantiates the requirements for thermodynamically favorable, but kinetically slower SiO₂ polymerization conditions. Results show that acidic moderate temperature conditions were required for an observable biosilicification impact. Moreover, they also identified for the first time, the necessity specifically for colloidal silica forms which are surface bound under acidic pH conditions, to distinguish discernible biosilicification compared to mineral particle controls. Results also highlight the important influence of mat surface characteristics in this process, specifically the extent of live, non-mineralized, exposed biological mat surface. Greater colloidal SiO₂ scavenging abilities are associated with non-mineralized microbial mat surfaces than with mineral particle surfaces or microbial mat surfaces encrusted with authigenic silica. These results are the first to demonstrate that biosilicification can be a microbially mediated, discernible geobiological process, shedding new light on the longstanding argument in the literature, and opening the door for more sensitive evaluation of this phenomenon in natural systems.     

History matching for exploring and reducing climate model parameter space using observations and a large perturbed physics ensemble

We apply an established statistical methodology called history matching to constrain the parameter space of a coupled non-flux-adjusted climate model (the third Hadley Centre Climate Model; HadCM3) by using a 10,000-member perturbed physics ensemble and observational metrics. History matching uses emulators (fast statistical representations of climate models that include a measure of uncertainty in the prediction of climate model output) to rule out regions of the parameter space of the climate model that are inconsistent with physical observations given the relevant uncertainties. Our methods rule out about half of the parameter space of the climate model even though we only use a small number of historical observations. We explore 2 dimensional projections of the remaining space and observe a region whose shape mainly depends on parameters controlling cloud processes and one ocean mixing parameter. We find that global mean surface air temperature (SAT) is the dominant constraint of those used, and that the others provide little further constraint after matching to SAT. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) has a non linear relationship with SAT and is not a good proxy for the meridional heat transport in the unconstrained parameter space, but these relationships are linear in our reduced space. We find that the transient response of the AMOC to idealised CO₂ forcing at 1 and 2 % per year shows a greater average reduction in strength in the constrained parameter space than in the unconstrained space. We test extended ranges of a number of parameters of HadCM3 and discover that no part of the extended ranges can by ruled out using any of our constraints. Constraining parameter space using easy to emulate observational metrics prior to analysis of more complex processes is an important and powerful tool. It can remove complex and irrelevant behaviour in unrealistic parts of parameter space, allowing the processes in question to be more easily studied or emulated, perhaps as a precursor to the application of further relevant constraints.     

积雪对南极冰盖自动气象站气温观测影响的研究

随着冰盖表面雪的累积或消融,自动气象站(AWS)传感器相对地表的高度随之发生变化,故所记录的观测资料不能直接反映相对地表固定高度上的气象参数。为了使南极冰盖上AWS所获取的气象资料具有可靠性,在积累率对AWS观测气温影响的基础上,将东南极冰盖上中山站至DomeA断面3个AWS的连续观测气温修正到相对于雪表面的某一真实高度上。结果表明:(1)DomeA,Eagle和LGB69年平均1m气温分别为-53.19℃,-41.33℃和-26.29℃,年平均积累率分别为0.11m、0.30m和0.49m,对应的1m气温年平均修正量分别为0.34℃、0.29℃和0.35℃,2m和4m气温的年平均修正量均小于0.1℃;(2)积累率变化对离地表最近层次上的气温影响最大,越往上层影响越小;(3)气温的修正量大小与积累率并非成简单的正比关系,它与气温本身的季节变化特征以及局地近地表逆温强度有很大的关系。气温的平均修正量冬季为正,夏季修正量的正负由局地是否存在逆温决定,修正量值的大小主要由逆温强度和积累率决定。     

The Effect of Contaminated Prey on Feeding,Activity, and Growth of Young-of-the-Year Bluefish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pomatomus saltatrix</Emphasis>, in the Laboratory

Young-of-the-year (YOY) bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, reside in some contaminated estuaries of the mid-Atlantic bight during their early life history, and as a result of this exposure, they may bioaccumulate high levels of contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and methyl mercury. Young-of-the-year bluefish from the Tuckerton, NJ, area of Great Bay (TK) were fed daily in a laboratory with common prey fish, menhaden, and mummichog from two sites: TK (reference) or Hackensack River (HR) (contaminated). Bluefish fed HR prey and the HR prey themselves had significantly elevated concentrations of PCBs, pesticides, and total mercury compared to TK counterparts. The bluefish fed contaminated prey for 4 months displayed significantly reduced feeding, spontaneous activity, and growth compared to the bluefish fed TK prey. Alterations of bluefish behavior and growth from exposure to contaminants may have detrimental effects on migration, overwinter survival, and recruitment success.     

Metabolic patterning of biosilicification

Here we show a discernibly unique biosilicification pattern for live, metabolically active Synechococcus cyanobacterial cell surfaces compared to dead Synechococcus cells under identical experimental conditions. The live cell treatments showed signs of cell division and the growth of fimbriae indicating metabolic activity during the 5-day silicification experiment. Live treatment cells were also recultivable after the experiments confirming their continued viability. The metabolically active live cyanobacteria treatment bound twice the amount of colloidal SiO₂ and held it more tightly compared to the dead cell treatment. Further, biosilicification of the live, actively metabolizing bacteria was unipolar, leaving the core surface largely unencrusted. In contrast, biosilicification of the dead cells was heterogeneous, occurring across the entire cell surface with no observable localized pattern. The directed biosilicification localization of live cell surfaces is likely a bacterial strategy to protect the cell functionality against the potentially inhibitory effects of mineral encrustation. Localization of silica biominerals to the polar end of the cell is also consistent with reported bacteria regulated cell polarity, which, under the experimental pH of 3, would enable localized differential attraction between the charged colloidal silica (+) particles and the bacterial cell polar surface (−). Our results show a novel metabolically-linked distinct colloidal SiO₂ biomineralization fingerprint, suggesting a putative biomineralization signature.