Landscape scale controls on the vascular plant component of dissolved organic carbon across a freshwater delta

Lignin phenol concentrations and compositions were determined on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) extracts (XAD resins) within the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (the Delta), the tidal freshwater portion of the San Francisco Bay Estuary, located in central California, USA. Fourteen stations were sampled, including the following habitats and land-use types: wetland, riverine, channelized waterway, open water, and island drains. Stations were sampled approximately seasonally from December, 1999 through May, 2001. DOC concentrations ranged from 1.3 mg L⁻¹ within the Sacramento River to 39.9 mg L⁻¹ at the outfall from an island drain (median 3.0 mg L⁻¹), while lignin concentrations ranged from 3.0 μg L⁻¹ within the Sacramento River to 111 μg L⁻¹ at the outfall from an island drain (median 11.6 μg L⁻¹). Both DOC and lignin concentrations varied significantly among habitat/land-use types and among sampling stations. Carbon-normalized lignin yields ranged from 0.07 mg (100 mg OC)⁻¹ at an island drain to 0.84 mg (100 mg OC)⁻¹ for a wetland (median 0.36 mg (100 mg OC)⁻¹), and also varied significantly among habitat/land-use types. A simple mass balance model indicated that the Delta acted as a source of lignin during late autumn through spring (10-83% increase) and a sink for lignin during summer and autumn (13-39% decrease). Endmember mixing models using S:V and C:V signatures of landscape scale features indicated strong temporal variation in sources of DOC export from the Delta, with riverine source signatures responsible for 50% of DOC in summer and winter, wetland signatures responsible for 40% of DOC in summer, winter, and late autumn, and island drains responsible for 40% of exported DOC in late autumn. A significant negative correlation was observed between carbon-normalized lignin yields and DOC bioavailability in two of the 14 sampling stations. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to describe organic vascular plant DOC sources at the level of localized landscape features, and is also the first to indicate a significant negative correlation between lignin and DOC bioavailability within environmental samples. Based upon observed trends: (1) Delta features exhibit significant spatial variability in organic chemical composition, and (2) localized Delta features appear to exert strong controls on terrigenous DOC as it passes through the Delta and is exported into the Pacific Ocean.     

The ideology behind the technology - Chilean microentrepreneurs and public ICT policies

Digital divides are differences in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) which tend to reflect the social and regional inequalities between and within countries. This paper presents a case study from Chile, which is among the leaders in Latin America both in levels of e-readiness and in social and regional inequality. The Chilean state’s ICT policies are situated within the “Third Way” approach of the centre-left government, reflecting the tensions between a pro-active and positive view of neoliberal globalisation, and state social programmes to support poorer sectors of society.The paper presents a multi-level analysis of two elements of Chilean ICT policy: Chilecompra, an online public e-procurement system aimed at creating transparent and competitive transactions in line with neoliberal economic theory, and Red Comunitaria, a network of Community Information Centres which offer free internet access and training to individuals, including microentrepreneurs. Interviews were conducted at the national, regional and local level. Findings were that the Community Information Centres (telecentros) had indeed furthered digital inclusion while in the meantime the shift to e-procurement had excluded many microentrepreneurs who had not registered with the system of Chilecompra. The larger of the local enterprises had registered but were having difficulties competing online with bigger companies located in the regional and national capitals.The paper argues that while both state policies see themselves as successes, the political objectives underlying the technology mirror the Chilean government’s struggle to simultaneously embrace neoliberal globalisation while working towards greater social and regional cohesion. At the local level there is evidence of the failure to reconcile the two approaches which may be indicative of a more general tension between these goals.     

Characterisation of ground motion recording stations in the Groningen gas field

The seismic hazard and risk analysis for the onshore Groningen gas field requires information about local soil properties, in particular shear-wave velocity (V_S). A fieldwork campaign was conducted at 18 surface accelerograph stations of the monitoring network. The subsurface in the region consists of unconsolidated sediments and is heterogeneous in composition and properties. A range of different methods was applied to acquire in situ V_S values to a target depth of at least 30 m. The techniques include seismic cone penetration tests (SCPT) with varying source offsets, multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) on Rayleigh waves with different processing approaches, microtremor array, cross-hole tomography and suspension P-S logging. The offset SCPT, cross-hole tomography and common midpoint cross-correlation (CMPcc) processing of MASW data all revealed lateral variations on length scales of several to tens of metres in this geological setting. SCPTs resulted in very detailed V_S profiles with depth, but represent point measurements in a heterogeneous environment. The MASW results represent V_S information on a larger spatial scale and smooth some of the heterogeneity encountered at the sites. The combination of MASW and SCPT proved to be a powerful and cost-effective approach in determining representative V_S profiles at the accelerograph station sites. The measured V_S profiles correspond well with the modelled profiles and they significantly enhance the ground motion model derivation. The similarity between the theoretical transfer function from the V_S profile and the observed amplification from vertical array stations is also excellent.     

The major Baltic inflow in January 1993 — Measurements and modelling results

Summary Major Baltic inflows (from the Kattegat) represent the only possibility for deep water renewal in the Baltic Sea that is generally characterised by stable stratification. Such an inflow occurred in January 1993 for the first time in 16 years. Observations were made by a moored station at Darß Sill and, for the first time since investigations into major Baltic inflows began, by a research vessel. In addition, the event has been simulated in an operational model.

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Der Salzwassereinbruch vom Januar 1993 in die Ostsee-Messungen und Modellergebnisse

Zusammenfassung Für die im allgemeinen stabil geschichtete Ostsee bilden Salzwassereinbrüche (aus dem Kattegat) die einzige Möglichkeit zur Erneuerung des Tiefenwassers. Ein solcher Salzwassereinbruch ereignete sich nach 16 Jahren Unterbrechung erst wieder im Januar 1993. Dieser Vorgang wurde durch Messungen von einer permanenten Station auf der Darßer Schwelle und — erstmals in der Geschichte der Erforschung von Salzwassereinbrüchen —einem Forschungsschiff registriert. Außerdem liegt eine numerische Simulation mit einem operationellen Modell vor.

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Insertion d'eau salée dans la mer Baltique en janvier 1993. Mesures et exploitation d'un modèle numérique

Résumé L'apport d'eau salée en provenance du Kattegat reste la seule possibilité de renouvellement des eaux profondes des couches stables de la mer Baltique. Un telle insertion d'eau salée ne s'est produite qu'au mois de janvier 1993 après une interruption de 16 ans. Ce processus a été enregistré par des mesures d'une station permanente (Darßer Schwelle) et, pour la première fois dans l'histoire de l'étude des insertions d'eau salée, par un navire scientifique. En outre une simulation numérique à l'aide d'un modèle opérationnel est présentée.

     

Early core formation in asteroids and late accretion of chondrite parent bodies: Evidence from Hf-W in CAIs, metal-rich chondrites, and iron meteorites

The ¹⁸²Hf-¹⁸²W isotopic systematics of Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs), metal-rich chondrites, and iron meteorites were investigated to constrain the relative timing of accretion of their parent asteroids. A regression of the Hf-W data for two bulk CAIs, various fragments of a single CAI, and carbonaceous chondrites constrains the ¹⁸²Hf/¹⁸⁰Hf and ε_W at the time of CAI formation to (1.07 ± 0.10) × 10⁻⁴ and −3.47 ± 0.20, respectively. All magmatic iron meteorites examined here have initial ε_W values that are similar to or slightly lower than the initial value of CAIs. These low ε_W values may in part reflect ¹⁸²W-burnout caused by the prolonged cosmic ray exposure of iron meteorites, but this effect is estimated to be less than ∼0.3 ε units for an exposure age of 600 Ma. The W isotope data, after correction for cosmic ray induced effects, indicate that core formation in the parent asteroids of the magmatic iron meteorites occurred less than ∼1.5 Myr after formation of CAIs. The nonmagmatic IAB-IIICD irons and the metal-rich CB chondrites have more radiogenic W isotope compositions, indicating formation several Myr after the oldest metal cores had segregated in some asteroids.Chondrule formation ∼2-5 Myr after CAIs, as constrained by published Pb-Pb and Al-Mg ages, postdates core formation in planetesimals, and indicates that chondrites do not represent the precursor material from which asteroids accreted and then differentiated. Chondrites instead derive from asteroids that accreted late, either farther from the Sun than the parent bodies of magmatic iron meteorites or by reaccretion of debris produced during collisional disruption of older asteroids. Alternatively, chondrites may represent material from the outermost layers of differentiated asteroids. The early thermal and chemical evolution of asteroids appears to be controlled by the decay of ²⁶Al, which was sufficiently abundant (initial ²⁶Al/²⁷Al >1.4 × 10⁻⁵) to rapidly melt early-formed planetesimals but could not raise the temperatures in the late-formed chondrite parent asteroids high enough to cause differentiation. The preservation of the primitive appearance of chondrites thus at least partially reflects their late formation rather than their early and primitive origin.     

Hf-W chronology of the accretion and early evolution of asteroids and terrestrial planets

The ¹⁸²Hf-¹⁸²W systematics of meteoritic and planetary samples provide firm constraints on the chronology of the accretion and earliest evolution of asteroids and terrestrial planets and lead to the following succession and duration of events in the earliest solar system. Formation of Ca,Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) at 4568.3 ± 0.7 Ma was followed by the accretion and differentiation of the parent bodies of some magmatic iron meteorites within less than ∼1 Myr. Chondrules from H chondrites formed 1.7 ± 0.7 Myr after CAIs, about contemporaneously with chondrules from L and LL chondrites as shown by their ²⁶Al-²⁶Mg ages. Some magmatism on the parent bodies of angrites, eucrites, and mesosiderites started as soon as ∼3 Myr after CAI formation and may have continued until ∼10 Myr. A similar timescale is obtained for the high-temperature metamorphic evolution of the H chondrite parent body. Thermal modeling combined with these age constraints reveals that the different thermal histories of meteorite parent bodies primarily reflect their initial abundance of ²⁶Al, which is determined by their accretion age. Impact-related processes were important in the subsequent evolution of asteroids but do not appear to have induced large-scale melting. For instance, Hf-W ages for eucrite metals postdate CAI formation by ∼20 Myr and may reflect impact-triggered thermal metamorphism in the crust of the eucrite parent body. Likewise, the Hf-W systematics of some non-magmatic iron meteorites were modified by impact-related processes but the timing of this event(s) remains poorly constrained.The strong fractionation of lithophile Hf from siderophile W during core formation makes the Hf-W system an ideal chronometer for this major differentiation event. However, for larger planets such as the terrestrial planets the calculated Hf-W ages are particularly sensitive to the occurrence of large impacts, the degree to which impactor cores re-equilibrated with the target mantle during large collisions, and changes in the metal-silicate partition coefficients of W due to changing fO₂ in differentiating planetary bodies. Calculated core formation ages for Mars range from 0 to 20 Myr after CAI formation and currently cannot distinguish between scenarios where Mars formed by runaway growth and where its formation was more protracted. Tungsten model ages for core formation in Earth range from ∼30 Myr to >100 Myr after CAIs and hence do not provide a unique age for the formation of Earth. However, the identical ¹⁸²W/¹⁸⁴W ratios of the lunar and terrestrial mantles provide powerful evidence that the Moon-forming giant impact and the final stage of Earth’s core formation occurred after extinction of ¹⁸²Hf (i.e., more than ∼50 Myr after CAIs), unless the Hf/W ratios of the bulk silicate Moon and Earth are identical to within less than ∼10%. Furthermore, the identical ¹⁸²W/¹⁸⁴W of the lunar and terrestrial mantles is difficult to explain unless either the Moon consists predominantly of terrestrial material or the W in the proto-lunar magma disk isotopically equilibrated with the Earth’s mantle.Hafnium-tungsten chronometry also provides constraints on the duration of magma ocean solidification in terrestrial planets. Variations in the ¹⁸²W/¹⁸⁴W ratios of martian meteorites reflect an early differentiation of the martian mantle during the effective lifetime of ¹⁸²Hf. In contrast, no ¹⁸²W variations exist in the lunar mantle, demonstrating magma ocean solidification later than ∼60 Myr, in agreement with ¹⁴⁷Sm-¹⁴³Nd ages for ferroan anorthosites. The Moon-forming giant impact most likely erased any evidence of a prior differentiation of Earth’s mantle, consistent with a ¹⁴⁶Sm-¹⁴²Nd age of 50-200 Myr for the earliest differentiation of Earth’s mantle. However, the Hf-W chronology of the formation of Earth’s core and the Moon-forming impact is difficult to reconcile with the preservation of ¹⁴⁶Sm-¹⁴²Nd evidence for an early (<30 Myr after CAIs) differentiation of a chondritic Earth’s mantle. Instead, the combined ¹⁸²W-¹⁴²Nd evidence suggests that bulk Earth may have superchondritic Sm/Nd and Hf/W ratios, in which case formation of its core must have terminated more than ∼42 Myr after formation of CAIs, consistent with the Hf-W age for the formation of the Moon.     

Nutrient density as a metric for comparing greenhouse gas emissions from food production

Dietary Guidelines for many countries recommend that people should eat ‘nutrient dense’ foods, which are foods with a high nutrient to energy ratio; and that people should limit their intake of saturated fat, added salt or added sugar. In addition, consumers and environmentalists increasingly want their food to be produced with a low impact on the environment, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), yet agriculture is a major source of CH₄ and N₂O emissions, as well as producing CO₂ emissions. Current research on GHGE from agriculture does not incorporate the nutritional value of the foods studied. However, the nutritional content of food is important, given the prevalence of malnutrition, including obesity (due to over-consumption of foods high in energy yet low nutritional density), and the negative health impacts they produce. This paper introduces the metric, emissions/unit nutrient density, and compares the results with three other metrics: emissions intensity (t CO₂e/t product), emissions/t protein and emissions/GJ. The food products examined are wheat flour, milk, canola oil, lean lamb, lean beef, untrimmed lamb and untrimmed beef. The metric t CO₂e/unit nutrient density was the preferred metric to use when examining GHGE from food production because it compares different types of products based on their nutritional value, rather than according to singular nutrients such as protein, or specific attributes such as product weight or energy content. Emissions/unit nutrient density has the potential to inform consumer choices regarding foods that have a higher nutritional content relative to the GHGE generated. Further analysis would be useful to develop and expand the use of this metric further.     

Hf-W isotope systematics of chondrites, eucrites, and martian meteorites: Chronology of core formation and early mantle differentiation in Vesta and Mars

The timescale of accretion and differentiation of asteroids and the terrestrial planets can be constrained using the extinct ¹⁸²Hf-¹⁸²W isotope system. We present new Hf-W data for seven carbonaceous chondrites, five eucrites, and three shergottites. The W isotope data for the carbonaceous chondrites agree with the previously revised ¹⁸²W/¹⁸⁴W of chondrites, and the combined chondrite data yield an improved ?_W value for chondrites of −1.9 ± 0.1 relative to the terrestrial standard. New Hf-W data for the eucrites, in combination with published results, indicate that mantle differentiation in the eucrite parent body (Vesta) occurred at 4563.2 ± 1.4 Ma and suggest that core formation took place 0.9 ± 0.3 Myr before mantle differentiation. Core formation in asteroids within the first ∼5 Myr of the solar system is consistent with the timescales deduced from W isotope data of iron meteorites. New W isotope data for the three basaltic shergottites EETA 79001, DaG 476, and SAU 051, in combination with published ¹⁸²W and ¹⁴²Nd data for Martian meteorites reveal the preservation of three early formed mantle reservoirs in Mars. One reservoir (Shergottite group), represented by Zagami, ALH77005, Shergotty, EETA 79001, and possibly SAU 051, is characterized by chondritic ¹⁴²Nd abundances and elevated ?_W values of ∼0.4. The ¹⁸²W excess of this mantle reservoir results from core formation. Another mantle reservoir (NC group) is sampled by Nakhla, Lafayette, and Chassigny and shows coupled ¹⁴²Nd-¹⁸²W excesses of 0.5-1 and 2-3 ? units, respectively. Formation of this mantle reservoir occurred 10-20 Myr after CAI condensation. Since the end of core formation is constrained to 7-15 Myr, a time difference between early silicate mantle differentiation and core formation is not resolvable for Mars. A third early formed mantle reservoir (DaG group) is represented by DaG 476 (and possibly SAU 051) and shows elevated ¹⁴²Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of 0.5-0.7 ? units and ?_W values that are indistinguishable from the Shergottite group. The time of separation of this third reservoir can be constrained to 50-150 Myr after the start of the solar system. Preservation of these early formed mantle reservoirs indicates limited convective mixing in the Martian mantle as early as ∼15 Myr after CAI condensation and suggests that since this time no giant impact occurred on Mars that could have led to mantle homogenization. Given that core formation in planetesimals was completed within the first ∼5 Myr of the solar system, it is most likely that Mars and Earth accreted from pre-differentiated planetesimals. The metal cores of Mars and Earth, however, cannot have formed by simply combining cores from these pre-differentiated planetesimals. The ¹⁸²W/¹⁸⁴W ratios of the Martian and terrestrial mantles require late effective removal of radiogenic ¹⁸²W, strongly suggesting the existence of magma oceans on both planets. Large impacts were probably the main heat source that generated magma oceans and led to the formation metallic cores in the terrestrial planets. In contrast, decay of short-lived ²⁶Al and ⁶⁰Fe were important heat sources for melting and core formation in asteroids.     

Northern fulmars as biological monitors of trends of plastic pollution in the eastern North Pacific

Marine plastic debris is a global issue, which highlights the need for internationally standardized methods of monitoring plastic pollution. The stomach contents of beached northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) have proven a cost-effective biomonitor in Europe. However, recent information on northern fulmar plastic ingestion is lacking in the North Pacific. We quantified the stomach contents of 67 fulmars from beaches in the eastern North Pacific in 2009-2010 and found that 92.5% of fulmars had ingested an average of 36.8 pieces, or 0.385g of plastic. Plastic ingestion in these fulmars is among the highest recorded globally. Compared to earlier studies in the North Pacific, our findings indicate an increase in plastic ingestion over the past 40years. This study substantiates the use of northern fulmar as biomonitors of plastic pollution in the North Pacific and suggests that the high levels of plastic pollution in this region warrant further monitoring.