Rapid vegetation change during the early Holocene in the Faroe Islands detected in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

High‐resolution pollen, plant macrofossil and sedimentary analyses from early Holocene lacustrine sediments on the Faroe Islands have detected a significant vegetation perturbation suggesting a rapid change in climate between ca. 10 380 cal. yr BP and the Saksunarvatn ash (10 240±60 cal. yr BP). This episode may be synchronous with the decline in δ¹⁸O values in the Greenland ice‐cores. It also correlates with a short, cold event detected in marine cores from the North Atlantic that has been ascribed to a weakening of thermohaline circulation associated with the sudden drainage of Lake Agassiz into the northwest Atlantic, or, alternatively, a period with distinctly decreased solar forcing. The vegetation sequence begins at ca. 10 500 cal. yr BP with a succession from tundra to shrub‐tundra and increasing lake productivity. Rapid population increases of aquatic plants suggest high summer temperatures between 10 450 and 10 380 cal. yr BP. High pollen percentages, concentrations and influx of Betula, Juniperus and Salix together with macrofossil leaves indicate shrub growth around the site during the initial phases of vegetation colonisation. Unstable conditions followed ca. 10 380 cal. yr BP that changed both the upland vegetation and the aquatic plant communities. A decrease in percentage values of shrub pollen is recorded, with replacement of both aquatics and herbaceous plants by pioneer plant communities. An increase in total pollen accumulation rates not seen in the concentration data suggests increased sediment delivery. The catchment changes are consistent with less seasonal, moister conditions. Subsequent climatic amelioration reinitiated a warmth‐driven succession and catchment stabilisation, but retained high precipitation levels influencing the composition of the post‐event communities. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Models of aggradation versus progradation in the Himalayan Foreland

A frequent goal of decompaction analysis is to reconstruct histories of basin subsidence and tectonic loading. In marine environments, eustatic and paleobathymetric uncertainties limit the resolution of these reconstructions. Whereas in the terrestrial basins, these ambiguities are absent, it is still necessary to account for depositional slopes between localities in order to analyze three-dimensional patterns of subsidence. We define two end-members for depositional surfaces: aggradation and progradation. The relative importance of either end-member is a function of the interplay between the rate of net sediment accumulation and the rate of basin subsidence. The models predict the patterns of major drainages (transverse versus longitudinal) and the way in which provenance should be reflected within different portions of a basin. Consequently, paleocurrent and provenance data from the ancient stratigraphic record can be used to distinguish between these endmembers. The subhorizontal depositional surfaces that dominate during times of aggradation provide a well defined reference frame for regional analysis of decompacted stratigraphies and related subsidence. Depositional slopes during progradation can not be as precisely specified, and consequently yield greater uncertainties in reconstructions of subsidence. These models are applied to the Mio-Pliocene foreland basin of the northwestern Himalaya, where sequences of isochronous strata have been analyzed throughout the basin. These time-controlled data delineate a distinctive evolution from largely aggradational to largely progradational depositional geometries as deformation progressively encroaches on the foreland. Such a reconstruction of past depositional surfaces provides a well constrained reference frame for subsequent integration of subsidence histories from throughout the foreland.

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Zusammenfassung Ein häufiges Ziel der Dekompaktionsanalyse ist es die Beckenabsenkung und die tektonische Belastung zu rekonstruieren. In marinen Ablagerungsräumen limitieren eustatische und paläobathymetrische Unsicherheiten die Auflösung der Rekonstruktion. Bei terrestrischen Becken fehlen diese Zweideutigkeiten; es ist aber trotzdem notwendig, Rechenschaft über den Ablagerungshang zwischen verschiedenen Lokalitäten abzulegen, um dreidimensionale Subsidenzmuster zu analysieren. Wir definieren zwei Endglieder von Ablagerangsflächen: Aggradation und Progradation. Die relative Wichtigkeit des jeweiligen Endglieds ist eine Funktion des Zusammenspiels zwischen der Nettorate der Sedimentakkumulation und der Beckensubsidenz. Die Modelle sagen die Hauptentwässerungsmuster (quer- oder längsverlaufend) vorher, sowie den Weg in dem die Sedimentherkunft innerhalb verschiedener Bereiche des Beckens berücksichtigt werden sollte. Folglich können Paläoströmungs- und Herkunftsdaten alter stratigraphischer Überlieferungen benutzt werden, um zwischen den Endgliedern zu unterscheiden. Die subhorizontale Ablagerungsfläche welche zur Zeit der Aggradation dominant ist, liefert einen gut definierten Referenzrahmen für die regionale Analyse von dekomprimierten Formationen und der damit verknüpften Subsidenz. Ablagerangshänge während Progradation können nicht präzise spezifiziert werden und beinhalten daher größere Unsicherheiten bei der Rekonstruktion der Subsidenz. Diese Modelle wurden übertragen auf das miozäne bis pliozäne Vorgebirgsbecken des nordwestlichen Himalayas, wo Sequenzen von isochronen Schichten durch das gesamte Becken analysiert werden konnten. Diese zeitkontrollierten Daten schildern eine ganz bestimmte Entwicklung, die von einer hauptsächlich aggradierenden zu einer progradierenden Ablagerangsgeometrie verlief, während der die Deformation schrittweise in Richtung Vorland übergriff. Diese Rekonstruktion von ehemaligen Ablagerangsflächen liefert einen guten Referenzrahmen für die folgende Integration der Subsidenzgeschichte des gesamten Vorlands.

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Résumé L'analyse de décompaction a souvent pour but de reconstituer l'histoire de la subsidence d'un bassin et de la charge tectonique. Dans les milieux marins, de telles reconstitutions sont limitées par des incertitudes de caractère eustatique et paléobathymétrique. Par contre, ces ambiguïtés ne se présentent pas dans le cas des bassins continentaux, où il convient néanmoins de tenir compte de la pente de la surface de dépôt entre les divers points considérés pour établir un schéma tridimensionnel de la subsidence. Nous définissons deux situations extrêmes pour les surfaces de dépôt: l'aggradation et la progradation. L'importance relative de ces deux extrêmes est fonction de l'interaction entre le taux d'accumulation net des sédiments et le taux de subsidence du bassin. Les modèles prévoient la répartition des drainages principaux (transverse ou longitudinal) et la manière dont l'origine des sédiments peut se répercuter dans les diverses parties d'un bassin. Il en résulte que des informations fournies par les relevés stratigraphiques à propos des paléocourants et de la source des sédiments peuvent être utilisées pour faire la distinction entre les deux cas extrêmes. Les surfaces de dépôt subhorizontales, qui prédominent pendant les périodes d'aggradation, fournissent un bon cadre de référence pour les analyses régionales de formations décompactées et de la subsidence qui leur est associée. Les surfaces de dépôt inclinées qui se présentent au cours des progradations ne peuvent pas être définies de manière aussi précise et engendrent par conséquent plus d'incertitude dans la reconstitution de la subsidence. Les auteurs appliquent ces modèles au bassin mio-pliocène d'avant-pays de l'Himalaya nord-occidental, dans lequel des séquences de couches isochrones ont été suivies à travers tout le bassin. Ces données, chronologiquement définies, fournissent l'image d'une évolution nette, depuis des géométries typiques d'aggradation jusqu' à des géométries typiques de progradation, au fur et à mesure de l'emprise progressive de la déformation sur l'avant-pays. Une telle reconstitution des surfaces de dépôt anciennes fournit un bon cadre de référence en vue de l'intégration ultérieure de l'histoire de la subsidence dans l'ensemble de l'avant-pays.

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V792 Her=HD 155638: A totally eclipsing RS CVn binary

Photometry of HD 155638=V792 Her has been analyzed to determine the elements of this totally eclipsing RS CVn binary. The light variation outside eclipse was found to have a period of 27^d.07±0^d.07, which is slightly different from the 27^d.5384±0^d.0045 orbital period. Analysis of the eclipses was achieved by a modification of the Russell-Merrill technique. With the aid of radial velocity measures, absolute elements were obtained for the hot and cool stars, respectively;R _h=2.58R ,R _c=12.28R ,M _h=1.40M ,M _c=1.46M ,i=80^o.61 and velocity semi-amplitudesK _c=48.36 km s^–1±0.79 km s^–1, andK _h=50.50 km s^–1±0.33 km s^–1. The apparent magnitudes areV _h=9 ^m .73 andV _c=8 ^m .48. The distance to HD 155638 was estimated to be 310 parsecs.     

Characterization of bacterial community structure in vestimentiferan tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae trophosomes

Terminal‐restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T‐RFLPs) were used to address the question whether there are multiple phylotypes of bacteria within the trophosome of the vestimentiferan tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae in addition to the known endosymbiont. Clone libraries were constructed to aid in the identification of the additional bacterial phylotypes. Individual R. piscesae specimens were collected from Juan de Fuca Ridge, Axial Caldera and Explorer Ridge, Magic Mountain. Clone library analyses revealed only one bacterial phylotype (expected R. piscesae endosymbiont) within the Explorer Ridge trophosomes. However, the Axial Caldera clone library revealed five operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Three of the resulting phylotypes detected (designated RAE) were putative thioautotrophic symbionts within the γ‐Proteobacteria which belonged to the anticipated endosymbiont group (RAE OTU 1), the Maorithyas hadalis symbiont II group (RAE OTU 3), and the Halothiobacillus group (RAE OTU 4). The remaining two phylotypes were most likely opportunistically derived. RAE OTU 5 was an α‐Proteobacterium within the Roseobacter group and RAE OTU 2 was within the Cytophaga–Flavobacterium–Bacteroidetes. T‐RFLP analyses revealed that all 15 trophosomes evaluated contained at least RAE OTUs 1 and 4. Five of the 15 trophosomes contained at least RAE OTUs 1, 3, and 4 and two of the trophosomes contained at least five RAE OTUs. Cluster analysis of the T‐RFLP data revealed three distinct clusters. The number of taxa within the trophosome may be an indication of the general health of the tubeworm. This study strongly suggests that we have discovered and identified more than one bacterial phylotype within the trophosome of vestimentiferan R. piscesae.     

Turnover of hepatic hemoproteins in rainbow trout

The hepatic mixed function oxidase system in the fish differs from that in mammals in its responses to the two classic mammalian inducers. The cytochrome P-448-type inducers (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) stimulate monooxygenase activity, but phenobarbital, a P-450-type inducer, does not.¹ We have compared the effects of phenobarbital (PB) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on the turnover of hepatic microsomal hemoproteins in trout (PCB's are P-448- and P-450-type inducers in mammals, which in fish induce only cytochrome P-448). We show here that neither PCB nor PB treatment changed the turnover rate. However, both the rates of synthesis and degradation were much slower than in the rat.     

The sea-surface microlayer of puget sound: Part I. Toxic effects on fish eggs and larvae

The sea surface is an important habitat for the developmental stages (eggs and larvae) of many fish and invertebrates; it is also a concentration point for anthropogenic contaminants entering the sea. Studies were conducted to determine the extent to which the sea surface of Puget Sound was toxic to the early life history stages of fish. Three urban bays with suspected contamination, a rural reference bay, and a Central Sound site were compared. Surface-dwelling eggs and organisms (zooneuston) were collected with a surface-skimming neuston net and their densities enumerated. Sand sole (Psettichthys melanostictus) embryos were exposed in the field and laboratory to the sea-surface microlayer. To develop a useful year-round approach to monitoring sea-surface toxicity, larval development of anchovies, kelp bass, and sea urchins was also evaluated as an indication of sea-surface microlayer toxicity.During the spawning season (February and March), urban boys in Puget Sound had lower concentrations of sand sole eggs and neustonic organisms on the sea surface than did the rural bayor Central Sound reference sites. Compared to the reference sites, laboratory exposure to surface microlayer samples collected from urban bay sites generally resulted in more chromsomal aberrations in developing sole embryos, reduced hatching success of sole larvae, and reduced growth in trout cell cultures. In situ hatching success of sole eggs was reduced by half or more in urban bays compared to reference sites.Toxicity was associated with visible surface slicks and, in urban bays, increased with increasing surface pressure (dynes cm⁻¹). Results to be reported separately (Part II) indicate that toxicity is strongly correlated with the presence of high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals in the sea-surface microlayer. The toxicity of SMIC samples was similar when evaluated by sole, anchovy, kelp bass, or sea urchin tests. A sea-surface monitoring program could use sea urchin embryos to evaluate site-specific sea-surface toxicity throughout the year.     

An experimental facility for testing loaded structures in a high hydrostatic pressure environment and an application to axially loaded columns

An experimental facility is described for the testing of structures under a combined axial load and hydrostatic pressure load. This facility was used to determine the effects of hydrostatic pressure (up to 6000 psi) on the load-carrying capacity of slender metal columns. There appeared to be no significant effect in this case.     

A sample changer for automated seawater nutrient analysis systems

An automatic sample changer based upon a commercially available 20-port rotary valve has been developed for use in automated seawater nutrient analyses. All parts exposed to seawater are of stainless steel, Teflon®, or Kel-F®. The sampler has proven to be rugged and efficient in both shore and shipboard laboratories.