Cross-formational hydrocarbon fluid flows in the Tertiary deltaic system of the Beaufort–Mackenzie Basin

Molecular and isotopic compositions of crude oils in the Beaufort–Mackenzie Basin confirm three genetic end-member oil groups and suggest extensive cross-formational hydrocarbon fluid flows in the Tertiary deltaic system. Inter- and intra-fractional variations in the geochemistry of the Tertiary-reservoired oils indicate that the oil source/maturity signatures were substantially masked by biomarkers that were picked up along migration pathways. Thus, many of the previously recognized “immature non-marine oils” are in fact thermally mature, probably derived from unpenetrated deeper marine source rocks. Although the effective source rock volumes have not been evaluated and their exact stratigraphic levels remain unknown, the relative timing of oil generation versus trap formation, rather than poor source quality, may be the cause of under-filled traps in the offshore area.     

Production of methyl bromide and methyl chloride in laboratory cultures of marine phytoplankton II

Methyl halides (monohalomethanes), especially methyl bromide, are known to contribute significantly to ozone destruction in the stratosphere. Budgets of natural and anthropogenic methyl bromide suggest that marine organisms may be the source of a significant proportion of the total global production. Since phytoplankton are abundant in surface waters, they are obvious candidates. Cultures of nine phytoplankton species were grown in CO₂-enriched, nitrate-limited medium in sealed glass vessels. Species tested include Chaetoceros calcitrans, Isochrysis sp., Porphyridium sp., Synechococcus sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Tetraselmis sp., Prorocentrum sp., Emiliania huxleyi and Phaeocystis sp. Methyl bromide (CH₃Br) and methyl chloride (CH₃Cl) concentrations were determined by bubbling the cultures with high-purity air, cryotrapping the effluent and analyzing it on a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector. The Phaeocystis sp. samples were monitored with GCMS. Cell population, bacterial population, Chl a, pH, and nitrate concentration were monitored for periods of at least two weeks. CH₃Cl was produced by all cultures. CH₃Br was absent in Tetraselmis sp. and Isochrysis sp. cultures, but present in all the others. Methyl iodide (CH₃I) was present in most cultures but could not be quantified due to analytical limitations. CH₃I and CH₃Br production was fastest in stationary phase and continued long after cell division had ceased. Axeic cultures of Phaeocystis sp. achieved almost identical production rates of CH₃Cl and CH₃Br as xenic cultures of the same species. Species from tropical waters had faster CH₃Cl and CH₃Br production rates than temperate species. Scaling the observed production rates using global standing stock estimates for Chl a and particulate nitrogen indicate that phytoplankton can account for only a fraction of the CH₃Cl and CH₃Br believed to be produced in the ocean. Calculations based on the estimated global biomass of Phaeocystis sp. and E. huxleyi blooms show that their contribution is insignificantly small.     

The use of the fine fractions of stream sediments in geochemical exploration in arid and semi-arid terrains

Partitioning of Cu, Pb, Zn, U, As and Mo between the minus 70 μm and minus 200 μm fractions of stream sediments from arid and semi-arid terrains is examined in the light of published case histories supplemented by new data. The advantages of selecting a particular fraction for routine sampling in such arid environments are assessed in terms of five criteria: (1) homogeneity of background population; (2) definition of threshold; (3) absolute element abundance levels; (4) contrast between anomalous and background populations; and (5) length of dispersion train. The most homogeneous background population distributions and improved definition of the threshold between background and anomaly occur in the very fine, minus 70 μm fraction of stream sediments for the majority of elements, in particular for Zn, Cu, U and As. Data for Pb and Mo do not consistently favour either size fraction in the case histories studied. Increased abundance levels of elements which are normally close to the analytical detection limit (U, Mo, As) occur most frequently in the minus 70 μm fraction, although Cu, Pb and Zn levels are commonly higher in the coarser fraction. In addition the finer size fraction better defines the anomalous population and provides the longer dispersion trains for Cu, Pb, Zn, U and As in the majority of case histories.The data examined indicate that the minus 70 μm fraction provides more useful information, in many instances, than the minus 200 μm fraction. The evidence suggests that problems expected with the use of the fine fraction — dilution through the abundance of wind blown material, and insufficient fine sediment — do not restrict the use of this fraction in stream sediment surveys in arid terrains.     

Die Steuerung des vertikalen Austauschkoeffizienten durch die Temperaturstruktur in der unteren Troposphäre

Zusammenfassung Zwei unabhängige Verfahren zur direkten Bestimmung des vertikalen Austauschkoeffizienten auf dem Wege über Aerosolmessungen werden über lange Zeiträume hinweg angewandt um gesicherte Beziehungen zwischen Austauschkoeffizient und meteorologischen Zustandsgrössen, vorallem des vertikalen Temperaturgrdienten, in der unteren Troposphäre zwischen 700 und 3000 m NN abzuleiten. Das eine Verfahren beruht auf der Messung der RaB-Konzentration in der Luft in 700, 1800 und 3000 m NN, das andere in der aerologischen Registrierung der totalen Luftleitfähigkeit zwischen 700 und 1800 m. Im ersten Falle können aus den mittleren Konzentrations gradienten die mittleren Austauschkoeffizienten direkt berechnet werden, im zweiten werden die Luftleitfähigkeitswerte zunächst in Partikelkonzentrationen umgerechnet. Diese gestatten die Be rechnung von differentiellen Austauschkoeffizienten über beliebig kleine Höhenintervalle. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse sind: a) Der mittlere Austauschkoeffizient zwischen 700–800 und 1800–300 m lässt sich bei geringer statischer Streuung als Funktion des mittleren Temperaturgradienten in der jeweiligen Schicht angeben. Nebeneinflüsse: Luftkörperwechsel, Kondensationswärme, Windscherung. b) Der mittlere Austauschkoeffizient lässt sich als Funktion der Stabilitäenergie in der betrachteten Schicht darstellen, Nebeneinflüsse wie bei a). c) Der Austauschkoeffizient durch eine Inversionsschicht hindruch ist eine Funktion des grössten positiven Temperaturgradienten in der Inversion. d) Der vertikale Austausch durch eine beliebig dicke Schicht hindurch wird im wesentlichen durch den kleinsten differentiellen Austauschkoeffizienten innerhald dieser Schicht bestimmt. — Schliesslich werden Ergebnisse über Feinstrukturuntersuchungen im Bereich von Unstetigkeitsschichten mitgeteilt.

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Summary The vertical-mass-exchange coefficient was determined from aerosol measurements by two independent methods; the measurements were kept up for a considerable period of time. Thus, well-substantiated relationships between the exchange coefficient on the one hand and meteorological parameters — especially the lapse rate — on the other were found to exist in the lower troposphere between 700 and 1800 m.The first of the two methods is based on measurements of RaB concentration in air at 700, 1800 and 3000 m, the second on recordings of soundings of overall air conductivity between 700 and 1800 m a.s.l. In the first case, mean exchange coefficients were computed from RaB concentration gradients given as averages from RaB measurements at the above-specified levels; in the second, the air conductivity data were used to compute particle concentration profiles, from which incremental exchange coefficients can be computed for thin-layer increments. The latter may be made as thin as is consistent with the vertical resolution of the soundings. The major results obtained were the following: a) The mean exchange coefficient for the 700–1800 and the 1800–3000 m layer is found to be a function of the average temperature lapse rate in the respective layer; this relationship is subject only to some slight statistic alscatter, and is affected in some measure by air-mass changes, wind shear and heat of condensation. b) The mean exchange coefficient is a function of the stability energy of the layer concerned, subject to the influences listed in a). c) The exchange coefficient of an inversion layer is a function of the greatest inverse lapse rate existing in any part of the inversion. d) Vertical mass exchange in or through a layer of any thickness is primarily determined by the lowest incremental mass-exchange coefficient of any thinner layer contained therein. — The study is supplemented by results of fine-structure analyses of discontinuity layers and their surroundings.

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Die Beschaffung der Einrichtungen, die Durchführung und Auswertung der Messungen wurde durch Mittel der US Army, European Research Office (Verträge DA-91-591-EUC-3936, DAJA-37-67C-0254 und DAJA-37-68C-0331) und des Bundesministeriums der Verteidigung der Deutschen Bundesrepublik ermöglicht. Für die grosszügige Förderung der Arbeiten haben wir sehr zu danken.     

Microanalysis of nitrogen isotope abundances: association of nitrogen with noble gas carriers in Allende

Current research efforts to explore and account for the distribution of nitrogen isotope abundances in the ancient and present-day solar wind and in meteorites often require measurement of nitrogen abundances and isotopic compositions in very small samples of rare extraterrestrial materials. Isotopic analysis of ～ 1 μg of N₂ is possible with modern techniques of dynamic mass spectrometry, but even this high sensitivity is a limiting factor for certain critical samples. We have utilized a statistically operated mass spectrometer coupled to an ultrahigh vacuum gas extraction and processing system to lower this limit by approximately four orders of magnitude. Quantities of N₂ ranging from ～ 100 ng to < 100 pg are measurable with permil to percent precision in isotope ratios. Nitrogen and all noble gases evolved during stepwise combustion of fine-grained matrix material separated from the Allende meteorite have been meausred simultaneously in a pilot experiment using this technique. Isotopically heavy H-Xe (CCF-Xe) and isotopically light N are co-sited in a carbonaceous carrier phase, supporting a nucleosynthetic origin for¹⁵N-depleted nitrogen in Allende. The great isotopic uniformity of trapped Ar in all carrier phases indicates that simple, physical mass fractionation in gravitational escape of volatiles from the primitive nebula cannot have played a significant role in generating the nitrogen compositions observed in solar system matter.     

A hybrid indirect boundary element—discrete wave number method applied to simulate the seismic response of stratified alluvial valleys

A hybrid indirect boundary element – discrete wavenumber method is presented and applied to model the ground motion on stratified alluvial valleys under incident plane SH waves from an elastic half-space. The method is based on the single-layer integral representation for diffracted waves. Refracted waves in the horizontally stratified region can be expressed as a linear superposition of solutions for a set of discrete wavenumbers. These solutions are obtained in terms of the Thomson–Haskell propagators formalism. Boundary conditions of continuity of displacements and tractions along the common boundary between the half-space and the stratified region lead to a system of equations for the sources strengths and the coefficients of the plane wave expansion. Although the regions share the boundary, the discretization schemes are different for both sides: for the exterior region, it is based on the numerical and analytical integration of exact Green's functions for displacements and tractions whereas for the layered part, a collocation approach is used. In order to validate this approach results are compared for well-known cases studied in the literature. A homogeneous trapezoidal valley and a parabolic stratified valley were studied and excellent agreement with previous computations was found. An example is given for a stratified inclusion model of an alluvial deposit with an irregular interface with the half-space. Results are displayed in both frequency and time domains. These results show the significant influence of lateral heterogeneity and the emergence of locally generated surface waves in the seismic response of alluvial valleys.     

Bottomside profile shape parameters during low solar activity and comparisons with IRI-2007 model

Modern digital ionosonde measurements at low–middle latitude station, New Delhi, India, are used to assess the IRI-2007 model for the bottomside profile shape parameters B0 and B1 during solar minimum. Comparative analysis shows that in general, the IRI (B0 Table) option reveals better agreement with the B0 observations during daytime in all the seasons, while outside this time period, the IRI (Gulyaeva) predicted B0 values are closer to the observations. For B1 parameter, both the options in the IRI reproduce similar diurnal variations in all the seasons and are closer to observed values except during pre-sunrise and post-sunset hours.     

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Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Method for comparing fish growth curves

The method of comparing growth curves that is described in this paper consists of describing growth for the ith group by the equation Li(t) = ai + bi r^t, which is linear in the two parameters ai and bi, and subsequently using the analysis of variance to compare the curves. The advantages of the linear growth equation over the von Bertalanffy equation, l i (t) ⁼ ai + bi r^t i, are easier analysis and a much simpler interpretation of the differences in the parameters in terms of growth rate and maximum size. An example comparing the growth of male and female red gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu from four areas within the Hauraki Gulf is given.