Growing up green on serpentine soils: Biogeochemistry of serpentine vegetation in the Central Coast Range of California

Serpentine soils derived from the weathering of ultramafic rocks and their metamorphic derivatives (serpentinites) are chemically prohibitive for vegetative growth. Evaluating how serpentine vegetation is able to persist under these chemical conditions is difficult to ascertain due to the numerous factors (climate, relief, time, water availability, etc.) controlling and affecting plant growth. Here, the uptake, incorporation, and distribution of a wide variety of elements into the biomass of serpentine vegetation has been investigated relative to vegetation growing on an adjacent chert-derived soil. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic C, total N, soil extractable elements, total soil elemental compositions and plant digestions in conjunction with spider diagrams are utilized to determine the chemical relationships of these soil and plant systems. Plant available Mg and Ca in serpentine soils exceed values assessed in chert soils. Magnesium is nearly 3 times more abundant than Ca in the serpentine soils; however, the serpentine soils are not Ca deficient with Ca concentrations as high as 2235 mg kg⁻¹. Calcium to Mg ratios (Ca:Mg) in both serpentine and chert vegetation are greater than one in both below and above ground tissues. Soil and plant chemistry analyses support that Ca is not a limiting factor for plant growth and that serpentine vegetation is actively moderating Mg uptake as well as tolerating elevated concentrations of bioavailable Mg. Additionally, results demonstrate that serpentine vegetation suppresses the uptake of Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn and Co into its biomass. The suppressed uptake of these metals mainly occurs in the plants’ roots as evident by the comparatively lower metal concentrations present in above ground tissues (twigs, leaves and shoots). This research supports earlier studies that have suggested that ion uptake discrimination and ion suppression in the roots are major mechanisms for serpentine vegetation to tolerate the chemistry of serpentine soils.     

Evidence of a Mixed-Layer Dynamics Contribution to the Entrainment Process

The internal thermal boundary layer developing over the Mediterranean during a cold-air outbreak associated with a Tramontane event has been studied by means of airborne lidar, in situ sensors, and a modelling approach that consisted of nesting the University of Washington (UW) planetary boundary-layer (PBL) model in an advective zero-order jump model. This approach bypasses some of the deficiencies associated with each model: the absence of the dynamics in the mixed layer for the zero-order jump model and the lack of an inversion at the PBL top for the UW PBL model. Particular attention is given to the parameterization of the entrainment flux at the PBL top. Values of the entrainment closure parameter derived with the model when matching PBL structure observations are much lower than those derived with standard zero-order jump models. They also are in good agreement with values measured in different meteorological situations by other studies. This improvement is a result of the introduction of turbulent kinetic energy production in the mixed layer.     

Sensitivity of crop yields and land resource potential to climatic change in Ontario,Canada

Increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO₂ and other greenhouse gases are expected to contribute to a global warming. This paper examines the potential implications of a climatic change corresponding to a doubling of atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ on crop production opportunities throughout Ontario, a major food producing region in Canada. The climate is projected to become warmer and drier, but the extent of these shifts are expected to vary from region to region within Ontario. The effect of this altered climate on crop yields and the area of land capable of supporting specific crops varies according to region, soil quality and crop type. Most notable are the enhanced opportunities for grains and oilseeds in the northern regions, and the diminished production prospects for most crops in the most southerly parts of Ontario.     

Paleo- and Neoproterozoic magmatic and tectonometamorphic evolution of the Isla Cristalina de Rivera (Nico Pérez Terrane, Uruguay)

The Isla Cristalina de Rivera crystalline complex in northeastern Uruguay underwent a multistage magmatic and metamorphic evolution. Based on SHRIMP U–Pb zircon, Th–U–Pb monazite (CHIME-EPMA method) and K–Ar age data from key units several events can be recognized: (1) multistage magmatism at 2,171–2,114?Ma, recorded on zircon of the granulitic orthogneisses and their 2,093–2,077?Ma overgrowths; (2) a distinct amphibolite facies metamorphism at ~1,980?Ma, recorded by monazite; (3) greenschist facies reworking and shearing at ca. 606?Ma (monazite and K–Ar on muscovite) along the Rivera Shear Zone, and finally (4) intrusion of the post-tectonic Sobresaliente and Las Flores granites at around 585?Ma. Lithological similarities, geographic proximity and coeval magmatic and metamorphic events indicate a similar tectonometamorphic evolution for the Isla Cristalina de Rivera, the Valentines Block in Uruguay and the Santa María Chico Granulitic Complex in southern Brazil, since at least 2.1?Ga.     

A Method for Estimating Field-Scale Mass Transfer Rate Parameters and Assessing Aquifer Cleanup Times

A general method for estimating ground-water solute mass transfer rate parameters from field test data is presented. The method entails matching solute concentration and hydraulic head data collected during the recovery phase of a pumping test through application of a simulation-regression technique. Estimation of hydraulic conductivity and mass transfer rate parameter values is performed by fitting model simulations to the data. Parameter estimates are utilized to assess cleanup times for pump-and-treat aquifer remediation scenarios. Uncertainty in the cleanup time estimate is evaluated using statistical information obtained with the parameter estimation technique. Application of the method is demonstrated using a hypothetical ground-water flow and solute transport system. Simulations of field testing, parameter estimation, and remedial time frames are performed to evaluate the usefulness of the method. Sets of random noise that signify potential field and laboratory measurement errors are combined with the hypothetical data to provide rigorous testing of the method. Field tests are simulated using ranges of values for data noise, the mass transfer rate parameters, the test pumping rates, and the duration of recovery monitoring to evaluate their respective influence on parameter and cleanup time estimates. The demonstration indicates the method is capable of yielding accurate estimates of the solute mass transfer rate parameters. When the parameter values for the hypothetical system are well estimated, cleanup time predictions are shown to be more accurate than when calculated using the local equilibrium assumption.     

Mining exploitation influence range

Mining exploitation has a negative impact on the natural environment. Voids created in the rockmass result in displacements and deformations of land surface. During planning and conducting the exploitation, the range of exploitation influence in the form of linear deformations is being determined. On the basis of mining-geological parameters of exploitation, the exploitation range of influences is calculated. According to the literature, many different ranges of exploitation influences can be determined depending on what has been the purpose of it. Different types of exploitation influence ranges can be distinguished, such as theoretical, damage or measurable. In the paper, the matters connected with determining those three types of the influence range are taken under consideration. The comparison of magnitudes of determined influence ranges is illustrated with two practical examples.     

The First Solar Seeing Profile Measurement with Two Apertures and Multiple Guide Regions

The sky brightness is a critical parameter for estimating the coronal observation conditions for a solar observatory. As part of a site-survey project in Western China, we measured the sky brightness continuously at the Lijiang Observatory in Yunnan province in 2011. A sky brightness monitor (SBM) was adopted to measure the sky brightness in a region extending from 4.5 to 7.0 apparent solar radii based on the experience of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) site survey. Every month, the data were collected manually for at least one week. We collected statistics of the sky brightness at four bandpasses located at 450, 530, 890, and 940 nm. The results indicate that aerosol scattering is of great importance for the diurnal variation of the sky brightness. For most of the year, the sky brightness remains under 20 millionths per airmass before local Noon. On average, the sky brightness is less than 20 millionths, which accounts for 40.41% of the total observing time on a clear day. The best observation time is from 9:00 to 13:00 (Beijing time). The Lijiang Observatory is therefore suitable for coronagraphs investigating the structures and dynamics of the corona.     

Fast solar electrons,interplanetary plasma and km-wave type-III radio bursts observed from the IMP-6 spacecraft

IMP-6 spacecraft observations of low frequency radio emission, fast electrons, and solar wind plasma are used to examine the dynamics of the fast electron streams which generate solar type-III radio bursts. Of twenty solar electron events observed between April, 1971 and August, 1972, four were found to be amenable to detailed analysis. Observations of the direction of arrival of the radio emission at different frequencies were combined with the solar wind density and velocity measurements at 1 AU to define an Archimedean spiral trajectory for the radio burst exciter. The propagation characteristics of the exciter and of the fast electrons observed at 1 AU were then conpared. We find that: (1) the fast electrons excite the radio emission at the second harmonic; (2) the total distance travelled by the electrons was between 30 and 70% longer than the length of the smooth spiral defined by the radio observations; (3) this additional distance travelled is the result of scattering of the electrons in the interplanetary medium; (4) the observations are consistent with negligible true energy loss by the fast electrons.