Fe2+-Fe3+ interactions in tourmaline

The color and spectroscopic properties of ironbearing tourmalines (elbaite, dravite, uvite, schorl) do not vary smoothly with iron concentration. Such behavior has often been ascribed to intervalence charge transfer between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ which produces a new, intense absorption band in the visible portion of the spectrum. In the case of tourmaline, an entirely different manifestation of the interaction between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ occurs in which the Fe²⁺ bands are intensified without an intense, new absorption band. At low iron concentrations, the intensity of light absorption from Fe²⁺ is about the same for E∥c and E⊥c polarizations, but at high iron concentrations, the intensity of the E⊥c polarization increases more than ten times as much as E∥c. This difference is related to intensification of Fe²⁺ absorption by adjacent Fe³⁺. Extrapolations indicate that pairs of Fe²⁺-Fe³⁺ have Fe²⁺ absorption intensity ～200 times as great as isolated Fe²⁺. Enhanced Fe²⁺ absorption bands are recognized in tourmaline by their intensity increase at 78 K of up to 50%. Enhancement of Fe²⁺ absorption intensity provides a severe limitration on the accuracy of determinations of Fe²⁺ concentration and site occupancy by optical spectroscopic methods. Details of the assignment of tourmaline spectra in the optical region are reconsidered.     

Calibration of electromagnetic seismographs by means of responses to release and shock tests

Summary The paper deals with the problems of fast determination of the magnification curve and of the partial constants of an electromagnetic seismograph by means of responses to release and shock tests, using a computer.     

New satellite derived sea ice motion tracks Arctic contamination

Sea ice has been reported to contain contaminants from atmospheric and nearshore sediment resuspension processes. In this study successive passive microwave images from the 85.5 GHz channels on the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) were merged with drifting buoy trajectories from the International Arctic Buoy Program to compute Arctic sea ice motion in the Russian Arctic between 1988 and 1994. Smooth daily motion fields were averaged to prepare monthly maps making it possible to compute the 7-year mean and mean seasonal ice motions as well as principal components of directional variability of sea ice motion for the entire Arctic and surrounding basins. These mean motion vectors are used to simulate the advection of contaminants deposited on or contained within the sea ice and subsequently transported into the Arctic Ocean in order to predict both their mean trajectories and dispersal over time. The 3-year displacement of contaminants from a number of Russian sites and one American site display various behaviours from substantial displacement and dispersal to almost no movement. This computational procedure could be applied to realtime SSM/I and ice buoy data to provide detailed, all-weather, vector motion maps of ice circulation to predict the path and dispersal of any new substance introduced to the sea ice and transported into the Arctic or Antarctic ocean surface.     

On the solution of the carbonate chemistry system in ocean biogeochemistry models

We present a simplified method for solving the local equilibrium carbonate chemistry in numerical ocean biogeochemistry models. Compared to the methods typically used, the scheme is fast, efficient and compact. The accuracy of the solution is dictated by the number of species retained in the expression for alkalinity and there is almost no computational penalty for retaining minor contributions. We demonstrate that this scheme accurately reproduces the results of the commonly used method in the context of a three-dimensional global ocean carbon cycle model. Using this model we also show that neglecting the regional variations in surface dissolved inorganic phosphorus and silicic acid concentrations can lead to significant systematic bias in regional estimates of air–sea carbon fluxes using such models.     

Spatial and temporal variability of a coarse-sand anomaly on a sandy inner shelf,northeastern Gulf of Mexico

A 10-km² area of anomalously uniform coarse sand and low relief, in 30 m water depth off Panama City, Florida, USA, exists as a palimpsest hardbottom within the prevailing sand-wave system. Side-scan sonar observations over a ten-year period document the morphologic response of the anomaly to the bottom—wave—current interaction regime. The anomaly and surrounding sand waves remained fixed during this period. Ripples form within the anomaly in response to seasonal storms and decay during quiescent periods. Hurricane response includes minor realignment of sand waves, formation of megaripples, and deposition of a thin mud layer.     

Creation of an artificial carbonate sand

This paper deals with the efficacy of creating artificial carbonate sand from crushed chalk to model the natural carbonate sand. Direct drained shear using 100 mm shear box and compressibility tests using 150 mm Rowe cell have been performed on artificial carbonate sand in order to determine the shear stress-strain and compressibility characteristics of the artificial material. These are compared with data from natural carbonate sands given in the literature. The results obtained demonstrate that shear stress-strain and compressibility characteristics of the artificial material closely mirror that of natural carbonate soils. The artificial carbonate sand shows generally similar characteristics, which are in the range of the natural carbonate material.     

An assessment of land use and other factors affecting sediment loads in the Rio Puerco watershed, New Mexico

Rapid channel erosion in the Rio Puerco watershed of northwest New Mexico has been attributed to land use, climate changes, and internal channel adjustments. The objectives of this study were to assess (1) the impacts of land uses on sediment load, (2) the quantitative relationships between land use and sediment load, and (3) the effectiveness of different erosion control methods. The impacts of land uses on sediment load were assessed via hypotheses that, holding other erosion-related variables constant, sediment load correlates positively with grazing intensity and with density of unpaved roads, and correlates negatively with the number of erosion control treatments. We calculated the average annual sediment load for 17 subbasins of 0.67–17.97 km² by comparing sediment accumulation at two points in time (mid-1960s and 1999) behind intact sediment retention structures. We assessed land use via grazing records and measurements of unpaved roads generated from aerial photographs. Soil characteristics, vegetation, and physical factors were quantified for each subbasin. Using 18 variables for each subbasin, we employed Mallow's C_p as a selection criterion. We used six statistical models, including multiple regression and principal components analysis, to determine inherent mathematical relationships between significant independent variables and sediment load. The results indicate that sediment load does not correlate with grazing intensity except in small, relatively low-relief basins with fewer bedrock exposures. However, this interpretation may be compromised by the low quality of data available to quantify grazing. Sediment load is highly sensitive to the presence of unpaved roads, which serve as high gradient, channelized conduits of water and sediment during storms. Sediment load does not correlate with erosion control except in the subset of small, relatively low-relief subbasins that also proved sensitive to grazing intensity. Overall, the statistical analyses suggest that the impact of land uses on sediment load can be assessed using the data available although physical factors appear more significant than land use in producing high sediment loads in the Rio Puerco subbasins. Historical erosion control techniques, as implemented in the Rio Puerco watershed, prove largely ineffective against accelerated sediment loads because they have not been appropriately implemented or maintained.     

Does land use matter in an arid Environment? A case study from the Hoanib River catchment, north-western Namibia

The effect of intensive grazing and browsing of domestic stock and wildlife on the number of species and abundance of vegetation was investigated in the Hoanib River catchment, north-western Namibia. The seasonal abundance of ground cover, bare earth, canopy cover, annual grass, perennial grass and annual forbs were measured in each of the focus-study areas. In three of the focus areas where the ranges of both domestic stock and wildlife were restricted either by fencing or water availability, impact on the vegetation was greatest. The final focus area was a more ‘open range’ system that allowed for the free movement of wildlife. Under these conditions the species abundance and availability of browsing and grazing was greater than the other focus areas during both the wet and dry seasons. However, very little difference in abundance and availability of vegetation was observed between focus areas in both seasons regardless of landuse. There is generally a low abundance of perennial grasses and browse species affording the ecosystem little resistance and resilience to disturbance caused by grazing and drought.