Short-term Effects of Intertidal Macroalgal Blooms on the Macrohabitat Selection and Feeding Behaviour of Wading Birds in the Mondego Estuary (West Portugal)

The possible effects of intertidal macroalgal blooms on the feeding distribution and behaviour of the waders in the Mondego Estuary (West Portugal) are discussed in the present paper. The presence of algae over the sediments did not deter the waders absolutely from feeding in a place, but most species did show some tendency to avoid highly eutrophic areas. However, there were no clear signs that the species redistributed themselves within the Estuary as the amount of algae changed, nor did the alternative feeding habitats (the salt pans) seem to be used more when algae were particularly abundant on the mud flats. In one species, bird numbers, rather than the amount of algae present, explained the numbers of birds using the salt pans when the two factors were considered together in a multiple regression analysis. There were no striking differences between algae-free and algae-weeded areas in some aspects of the foraging of two representative species, the scolopacid DunlinCalidris alpinaand the charadriid Grey PloverPluvialis squatarola. The results suggest either: (1) that the presence of algae did not strongly influence the distribution of the feeding waders, at least in the conditions prevailing during the study; or (2) that most waders were able to adapt to feeding on weeded areas; perhaps through subtle and undetected alterations in their feeding behaviour.     

Quantifying the local influence at a tall tower site in nocturnal conditions

The influence of the local terrestrial environment on nocturnal atmospheric CO₂ measurements at a 329-m television transmitter tower (and a component of a CO₂ monitoring network) was estimated with a tracer release experiment and a subsequent simulation of the releases. This was done to characterize the vertical transport of emissions from the surface to the uppermost tower level and how it is affected by atmospheric stability. The tracer release experiment was conducted over two nights in May of 2009 near the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. Tracer was released on two contrasting nights—slightly stable and moderately stable—from several upwind surface locations. Measurements at the 329-m level on both nights indicate that tracer was able to mix vertically within a relatively short (～24 km) distance, implying that nocturnal stable conditions do not necessarily prevent vertical dispersion in the boundary layer and that CO₂ measurements at the tower are at least partly influenced by nearby emissions. A simulation of the tracer release is used to calculate the tower footprint on the two nights to estimate the degree to which the local domain affects the tower readings. The effect of the nocturnal boundary layer on the area sampled by the tower can be seen clearly, as the footprints were affected by changes in stability. The contribution of local sources to the measurements at the tower was minimal, however, suggesting that nocturnal concentrations at upper levels are contributed mostly by regional sources.     

Comparison of two bias correction methods for precipitation simulated with a regional climate model

This study evaluates the performance of two bias correction techniques—power transformation and gamma distribution adjustment—for Eta regional climate model (RCM) precipitation simulations. For the gamma distribution adjustment, the number of dry days is not taken as a fixed parameter; rather, we propose a new methodology for handling dry days. We consider two cases: the first case is defined as having a greater number of simulated dry days than the observed number, and the second case is defined as the opposite. The present climate period was divided into calibration and validation sets. We evaluate the results of the two bias correction techniques using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov nonparametric test and the sum of the differences between the cumulative distribution curves. These tests show that both correction techniques were effective in reducing errors and consequently improving the reliability of the simulations. However, the gamma distribution correction method proved to be more efficient, particularly in reducing the error in the number of dry days.

     

Hydrothermal fluid source constrained by Co/Ni ratios in coexisting arsenopyrite and tourmaline: the auriferous lode of Passagem, Quadrilátero Ferrífero of Minas Gerais, Brazil

The auriferous lode of Passagem de Mariana is characterised by abundant tourmaline, which is intergrown with arsenopyrite. Spot measurements using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry show that Co and Ni are the most abundant trace elements in the arsenopyrite (45–538?ppm Co, 246–828?ppm Ni), with Co/Ni ratios consistently <1. The coexisting tourmaline also has Co/Ni <1, with Co and Ni contents that are ~2 orders of magnitude lower than those in the arsenopyrite. The Co/Ni ratios of tourmaline and arsenopyrite are tightly distributed along a positive linear trend, the angular coefficient of which represents the Co/Ni of the hydrothermal fluid from which these minerals precipitated. The fluid Co/Ni ratio is close to the average Co/Ni value for the upper continental crust. In conjunction with the abundance of lode tourmaline and its B-isotope data (from the literature), the Co/Ni ratios of tourmaline and arsenopyrite fingerprint a continental evaporitic source of B.     

Mapping soil pollution by spatial analysis and fuzzy classification

Spatial analysis and fuzzy classification techniques were used to estimate the spatial distributions of heavy metals in soil. The work was applied to soils in a coastal region that is characterized by intense urban occupation and large numbers of different industries. Concentrations of heavy metals were determined using geostatistical techniques and classes of risk were defined using fuzzy classification. The resulting prediction mappings identify the locations of high concentrations of Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cu in topsoils of the study area. The maps show that areas of high pollution of Ni and Cu are located at the northeast, where there is a predominance of industrial and agricultural activities; Pb and Zn also occur in high concentrations in the northeast, but the maps also show significant concentrations of Pb and Zn in other areas, mainly in the central and southeastern parts, where there are urban leisure activities and trade centers. Maps were also prepared showing levels of pollution risk. These maps show that (1) Cu presents a large pollution risk in the north–northwest, midwest, and southeast sectors, (2) Pb represents a moderate risk in most areas, (3) Zn generally exhibits low risk, and (4) Ni represents either low risk or no risk in the studied area. This study shows that combining geostatistics with fuzzy theory can provide results that offer insight into risk assessment for environmental pollution.     

Platinum enrichment at low temperatures and related microstructures,with examples of hongshiite (PtCu) and empirical ‘Pt2HgSe3’ from Itabira,Minas Gerais,Brazil

Low‐temperature Pt enrichment is illustrated with reference to two hypogene platiniferous minerals: (i) a Pd–Cu‐bearing ‘Pt₂HgSe₃’, an unnamed phase; and (ii) hongshiite, PtCu, with up to 0.7 wt% Hg. The former has patches oxidized to a Pt–O species with curvilinear microcracks originated by desiccation. The latter displays parallel sets of Cu‐depleted, Pt–Hg‐enriched patches, along which microfractures occur. Such microstructures are interpreted to arise from two processes: (i) oxidation and formation of a hydrated Pt–O compound, which tends to succumb to a Pt‐rich alloy by deoxygenation and dehydration, leaving behind curvilinear desiccation cracks; (ii) metal leaching conducive to native Pt by removal of Cu from hongshiite via micropores that coalesce along crystallographic planes to result in reticulated microcracks. Platinum enrichment either by oxidation or metal leaching ideally produces characteristic microcracks, which may be indicative of the origin, i.e. detrital vs. supergene, of alluvial and eluvial Pt‐rich alloys.     

Extended gas in Seyfert 2 galaxies: implications for the nuclear source

We use long-slit spectroscopic optical data to derive the properties of the extended emitting gas and the nuclear luminosity of a sample of 18 Seyfert 2 galaxies. From the emission-line luminosities and ratios we derive the density, reddening and mass of the ionized gas as a function of distance up to 2–4 kpc from the nucleus. Taking into account the geometric dilution of the nuclear radiation, we derive the radial distribution of covering factors and the minimum rate of ionizing photons emitted by the nuclear source. This number is an order of magnitude larger than that obtained from the rate of ionizing photons 'intercepted' by the gas and measured from the Hα luminosity. A calibration is proposed to recover this number from the observed luminosity. The He  ii λ4686/Hβ line ratio was used to calculate the slope of the ionizing spectral energy distribution (SED), which in combination with the number of ionizing photons allows the calculation of the hard X-ray luminosities. These luminosities are consistent with those derived from X-ray spectra in the eight cases for which such data are available and recover the intrinsic X-ray emission in Compton-thick cases. Our method can thus provide reliable estimates of the X-ray fluxes in Seyfert 2 galaxies for the cases where it is not readily available. We also use the ionizing SED and luminosity to predict the infrared luminosity under the assumption that it is dominated by reprocessed radiation from a dusty torus, and find a good agreement with the observed IRAS luminosities.     

Assessment of the Design of an Experimental Cover with Capillary Barrier Effect Using 4 Years of Field Data

One important step in the design of inclined covers with capillary barrier effect (CCBE) is the determination of the water diversion length (DL). Numerical simulations can predict the DL more precisely than steady-state analytical solutions. Nevertheless, as simplified methods have always been part of engineering design, the application of analytical solutions with conservative boundary conditions, may allow engineers to make reasonable predictions, particularly during the pre-feasibility stage of a project. In this study, a CCBE was designed, constructed and instrumented at the Saint-Tite-des-Caps landfill, Quebec, Canada. This CCBE included a seepage control layer superimposing a sand-gravel capillary barrier. The seepage control layer was made up of deinking by-products (DBP), an industrial by-product that was previously disposed of as waste. The capillary barrier was designed using an adaptation of the Ross analytical solution and the scenario considered was that of steady-state flow during constant seepage flow applied uniformly at the top of the sand-gravel capillary barrier. Although these conditions appear simplistic, they were deemed reasonable because placement of the seepage control layer on the top of the capillary barrier led to very low suctions at the interface, thereby allowing uniform downward seepage rates, limited by the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the DBP. In this paper, a discussion about the behaviour of the cover system based on 4 years of field data from several instruments is presented. The challenge of using DBP, more precisely the settlement of the DBP layer and its impact on k _sat , is also assessed. The DL was reassessed considering the new k _sat . A discussion on the validity of employing analytical solutions to determine DL is also presented. This paper illustrates how certain variables affect the design of inclined CCBEs that include a highly compressible material as seepage control layer.     

Transition from common to private coasts: Consequences of privatization of the coastal commons

Privatization is often viewed to provide positive stimulus for the economy that can lead to the betterment of society. But when the appropriate governance systems are not functionally in place, the unwanted effects of privatization can have deleterious consequences. This paper highlights the consequences of undesirable privatization and the emergent unwanted privatization tendencies of the coastal commons, particularly in the developing countries such as the Philippines. The lack of coherent policies, standards, and weak enforcement of policies in leasing the coastal commons (e.g. various unregulated aquaculture) in the Philippines in particular, have resulted to alarming displacement, deprivation and marginalization of fishing and farming communities and have degraded many coastal zone areas. In addition, poorly planned coastal tourism and housing development projects in the foreshore areas, inappropriate reclamation of coastal areas, illegal usurpation of indigenous people’s rights over ancestral domain areas, and conversion of fishing and fish farming zones into ecotourism zones further aggravated this scenario. Equitable access to resources is of paramount importance to afford concerned stakeholders greater participation in terms of developing greater capacity for coastal communities to engage and demand for improved coastal governance - an important facet of public administration often identified as one of the challenges in managing the commons. Co-management with an Ecosystem-Based Management approach as core operational mechanism provides opportunities to enhance policy formulation and implementation, secure community safety nets, and facilitate the creation of a level-playing environment that help to prevent the unwanted effects of privatization.