The estuarine clamRangia cuneata as a biomonitor of dioxins and furans in the Neches River,Taylor Bayou,and Fence Lake,Texas

Polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were measured in the tissues of the estuarine clamRangia cuneata at four sites in the Neches River that had been subjected to paper mill effluent and at two remote sites. One of the river samplings was taken before dioxin control measures and another 2 yr after the control measures began. Measurable concentrations of PCDD/Fs were present at all sites, but higher concentrations were present at the Neches River sites. Whole tissue concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD) and all PCDD congeners for the two collections were not significantly different (p>0.05), but lipid-normalized concentrations for the two collections were significantly different (p<0.05). Highest concentrations of PCDDs at sites located 8 km and 16 km upriver from the paper mill effluent outfall indicated that the materials were transported upriver by saltwater intrusion and/or that nonpoint sources existed upriver. The presences of PCDD/Fs in clam tissues from the remote sites also indicated that other sources of these materials existed. Even under extreme physiological conditions (spent reproductive phase, low lipid contents, water temperature 10°C; ripe reproductive phase, high lipids, water temperature 32°C)Rangia cuneata was an effective biomonitor to determine the distribution of PCDD/Fs at specific sites. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY069 00021     

The Indus-Tsangpo suture zone in Ladakh, northwest Himalaya: Further palaeomagnetic data and implications

A total of 81 samples (244 specimens) from Upper Cretaceous Indus Molasse and Middle to Upper Cretaceous Dras Flyschoids of the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone in Ladakh (northwest Himalaya) has been studied by thermal demagnetization methods.Both formations showed a characteristic magnetization component indicative for equatorial to low northern palaeolatitudes of acquisition. Similar palaeolatitudes have been obtained before from secondary magnetization components of Early Tertiary age in the Ladakh Intrusives and in the Tibetan Sedimentary Series of central Nepal. The present characteristic components are interpreted likewise as secondary magnetizations which stabilized between 50 and 60 m.y. ago, during Greater India's collision with Asia's southern margin.The Dras Flyschoids show another magnetic component which, in case of primary origin, indicates acquisition at a low southern palaeolatitude. If correct, this interpretation supports recent suggestions for Late Cretaceous obduction of an island arc on Greater India's northern margin.     

Catastrophic events reveal the dynamic nature of salt-marsh vegetation in Southern California

Recent hydrological disturbances, including flooding, dry-season streamflow, and drought, greatly altered coastal wetland habitats in sourthern California. At Tijuana Estuary, a six-year study of salt-marsh vegetation patterns during these rare conditions documented substantial temporal variability in plant growth and distribution. Important to cordgrass (Spartina foliosa Trin.) dynamics were the amount and timing of streamflows, which reduced soil salinity and alleviated stresses on plant growth. Poorest growing conditions occurred in 1984 when both river and tidal flows were lacking; soils had low moisture and extreme salinities (avg.=104‰ in September). Plant stress was documented in 1984 as high mortality (62% fewer stems than in 1983) and reduced height (19% less than in 1983). Cordgrass height was greatest in 1980 following winter flooding (20% increase over 1979); densities were greatest in 1983 with summer freshwater influxes (60% increase over 1982). A carbon allocation model is proposed to explain the varied responses.     

Determination of Carbonate Carbon in 41 International Geochemical Reference Samples by Coulometric Method

The carbonate-carbon (CO₂) content of forty-one geochemical reference samples has been determined by coulometric method following acid treatment of the sample for releasing CO₂. The method is superior to the conventional methods in speed, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the coverage of CO₂ range. The results on NBS limestone samples agree well with the certified values. The precision of the method is 0.5 % r.s.d., and the practical detection limit is 10 ppm C.     

Carbon dioxide recovery from industrial processes

The ongoing human-induced emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) threatens to change the earth's climate. One possible way of decreasing CO₂ emissions is to apply CO₂ removal, which involves recovering of carbon dioxide from energy conversion processes and storing it outside the atmosphere. Since the 1980's, the possibilities for recovering CO₂ from thermal power plants received increasing attention.In this study possible techniques of recovering CO₂ from large-scale industrial processes are assessed.In some industrial processes, e.g. ammonia production, CO₂ is recovered from the process streams to prevent it from interfering with the production process. The CO₂ thus recovered can easily be dehydrated and compressed, at low cost. In the iron and steel industry, carbon dioxide can be recovered from blast furnace gas. In the petrochemical industry CO₂ can be recovered from flue gases, using low-temperature heat for the separation process.Carbon dioxide can be recovered from large-scale industrial processes and in some cases the cost of recovery is significantly less than CO₂ recovery from thermal power plants. Therefore this option should be studied further and should be considered if carbon dioxide removal is introduced on a wide scale.     

Spontaneous potential corrections for groundwater salinity calculations — Carter County,Oklahoma, U.S.A.

The spontaneous potential log was used to compute the thickness and distribution of groundwater with a total dissolved solids (TDS) of less than 1000 mg l^?1 for Carter County, Oklahoma. To compute accurate salinities from the spontaneous potential in high-resistivity zones, empirical correction factors had to be developed and applied. For the formations present equivalent water resistivity vs. water resistivity curves were developed from chemical analyses and digitized. Water resistivity vs. TDS curves were also developed and digitized. The existing empirical thin-bed corrections were curve-fit with equations and applied to each zone. Except in beds less than 3.65 m thick they had little effect.It was found that after applying the thin-bed corrections used by logging companies, the computed TDS was a function of resistivity of the mud filtrate at 24°C. An empirical relationship was developed between spontaneous potential and resistivity of the mud filtrate at 24°C, using well logs of beds with known water chemistry. This relationship was entered as a correction equation into a computer program developed by the author. The correction is necessary since the voltage drop in a freshwater formation is greater than predicted by earlier electric analog modeling, and the spontaneous potential is less than the static spontaneous potential. Testing of the correction factors shows that in a formation with TDS of ～750 mg l^?1 the average error decreases from ～37% to 10%.A data set of 704 well logs was built with data from each freshwater zone from the base of the regolith to a depth where the TDS was greater than 10,000 mg l^?1. The TDS was computed for each zone. Two maps were prepared from the results; an isopach of the formations with TDS of less than 1000 mg l^?1, and a depth to the base of the water with TDS of 1000 mg l^?1.     

Autosuspension and the energetics of two-phase flows: Reply to comments on ‘experimental test of autosuspension’ by J. B. Southard and M. E. Mackintosh

The experimental programme of Southard and Mackintosh (1981) provides a definitive refutation of the autosuspension criterion as it was originally defined. A simple energy budget for dilute two-phase flow is derived from continuum theory of mixtures; it shows that Bagnold's criterion is based on an arbitrary comparison of two elements of the complete two-phase system. It is recommended that facile, ab hoc criteria for the behaviour of such complex flows be avoided in favour of analyses based on fundamental equations of motion.     

Global change and the intensification of agriculture in the tropics

Bridging understanding of local environmental change with regional and global patterns of land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) remains a key goal and challenge for our understanding of global environmental change. This meta-analysis attempts to bridge local and regional scales of LUCC by demonstrating the ways in which previously published case studies can be compared and used for a broader regional synthesis in the tropics. In addition to providing results from a meta-analysis, this paper suggests ways to make future case studies more widely comparable.