TERRA BOOKS PALAEOBIOLOGY A SYNTHESIS

1990, £89.50 (hbk), 583 pp. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford ISBN 0–632–02525–5     

Consortium study of the unusual H chondrite regolith breccia,Noblesville

Abstract— The Noblesville meteorite is a genomict, regolith breccia (H6 clasts in H4 matrix). Mössbauer analysis confirms that Noblesville is unusually fresh, not surprising in view of its recovery immediately after its fall. It resembles “normal” H4–6 chondrites in its chemical composition and induced thermoluminescence (TL) levels. Thus, at least in its contents of volatile trace elements, Noblesville differs from other H chondrite, class A regolith breccias. Noblesville's small pre-atmospheric mass and fall near Solar maximum and/or its peculiar orbit (with perihelion <0.8 AU as shown by natural TL intensity) may partly explain its levels of cosmogenic radionuclides. Its cosmic ray exposure age of ～ 44 Ma, is long, is equalled or exceeded by <3% of all H chondrites, and also differs from the 33 ± 3 Ma mean exposure age peak of other H chondrite regolith breccias. One whole-rock aliquot has a high, but not unmatched, ¹²⁹Xe/¹³²Xe of 1.88. While Noblesville is now among the chondritic regolithic breccias richest in solar gases, elemental ratios indicate some loss, especially of He, perhaps b; impacts in the regolith that heated individual grains. While general shock-loading levels in Noblesville did not exceed 4 GPa, individual clasts record shock levels of 5–10 GPa, doubtless acquired prior to lithification of the whole-rock meteoroid.     

Demagnetization of viscous moments

Summary. The theory of magnetism proposed by Walton is used-to produce models of magnetic viscous decay in an assembly of single domain grains of magnetite. These are then compared with data collected from carefully controlled viscosity experiments using 3 mm diameter cores of pottery whose major magnetic mineral is magnetite.     

Experimental investigation of moored-buoys using advanced video techniques

Physical model tests were conducted to validate numerical models of moored-buoy systems. Three buoy types (sphere, spar and discus) were tested for intrinsic properties, three-dimensional impulse response and three-dimensional dynamic response to two-dimensional regular and random wave excitation. Buoy kinematics were measured using advanced video imaging techniques. Other data collected included upper and lower mooring line tension and mooring line inclination. Physical model development, test and measurement procedures and data collected are discussed.     

Category, narrative, and value in the governance of small-scale fisheries

Since the 1970s, small-scale fisheries have had an important place in fisheries social science and in fisheries management. While there has been substantial discussion of what constitutes the category of small-scale fisheries, its considerable ambiguity is nevertheless often passed over. This paper argues that while the category of scale fisheries can be best understood in terms of scale, the underlying reason for the power of the category lies in the values of social justice and ecological sustainability that it has come to represent in response to dominant high modern narratives of change. Fisheries governance may better be served by prioritising these values rather than by making a fetish out of small-scale fisheries.     

Isolation of differentially expressed genes from contaminant exposed European flounder by suppressive, subtractive hybridisation

Commercially farmed European flounder (Platichthys flesus) were treated with benzo[a]pyrene or cadmium under controlled laboratory conditions. In addition, animals were collected from the polluted Tyne and relatively clean Alde estuaries in the UK. Potential differentially expressed genes were isolated from liver tissue by means of suppressive, subtractive hybridisation. A total of 284 different mRNAs were identified as having the potential for being differentially expressed, of which 84 could be tentatively identified by homology with database sequences. These clones will form part of a flounder cDNA array for validation and future applications, with full identification being pursued for those expressed sequence tags for which differential expression can be confirmed by array technology.     

A Review of Some Environmental Issues Affecting Marine Mining

This article reviews information recently available from existing marine and coastal mining for responses to environmental issues affecting marine mining at different depths. It is particularly but not exclusively concerned with those issues affecting seabed biodiversity impact and recovery. Much information has been gathered in the past 10 years from shallow mining operations for construction aggregate, diamonds, and gold, from coastal mines discharging tailings to shallow and deep water, and from experimental deep mining tests. The responses to issues identified are summarized in a series of eight tables intended to facilitate site-specific consideration. Since impacts can spread widely in the surface mixing layer SML, and can affect the biologically productive euphotic zone, the main issues considered arise from the depth of mining relative to the SML of the sea. Where mining is below the SML, the issue is whether it is environmentally better to bring the extraction products to the surface vessel for processing (and waste discharge), or to process the extraction products as much as possible on the seabed. Responses to the issues need to be sitespecific, and dependent on adequate preoperational environmental impact and recovery prediction. For deep tailings disposal from a surface vessel, there are four important environmental unknowns: (1) the possible growth of "marine snow" (bacterial flocs) utilizing the enormous quantities of fine tailings particles (hundreds or thousands of metric tons per day) as nuclei for growth, (2) the possibility that local keystone plankton and nekton species may migrate diurnally down to and beyond the depth of deep discharge and hence be subjected to tailings impact at depth, (3) the burrow-up capability of deep benthos and their ability to survive high rates of tailings deposition, and (4) the pattern and rate of dispersion of a tailings density current through the deep water column from discharge point to seabed. Actions to obtain relevant information in general and site-specifically are suggested.