Morphotectonic investigations along the Western Rift in the Masindi area,Bunyoro District,Uganda

Morphological and geological investigations along the Western Rift in the Lake Mobutu area (formerly Lake Albert), Uganda, East Africa are reviewed.Morphotectonic analyses reveal a complex interplay between rift faulting, erosion processes and sedimentation; an inversion of laterite surfaces in zones of subsidence and sedimentation is suggested. At least three phases of rift faulting can be recorded. The initiation of rift faulting is regarded as younger than the upper latente surface but pre lower Miocene.

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Zusammenfassung Morphologische und geologische Untersuchungen am westlichen Zweig des ostafrikanischen Grabens im Bereich des Mobutu-Sees (früher Albert-See) in Uganda werden zusammen mit den Ergebnissen der bisherigen Arbeiten in einer Gesamtschau dargestellt.Morphotektonische Analysen ergeben ein kompliziertes Wechselspiel zwischen Grabentektonik, Erosions- und Sedimentationsprozessen, Eine Inversion der latente surfaces im Absenkungs- und Sedimentationsbereich wird angenommen.Wenigstens drei Bewegungsphasen an der Grabenrandverwerfung sind zu erfassen. Das Einsetzen der aktiven Grabentektonik beginnt nach Bildung des upper latente surface und vor der Ablagerung unter-miozäner Sedimente.

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Résumé Des recherches géologiques et morphologiques du rift occidental dans la région du lac Mobutu (préalablement de lac Albert) en Ouganda, coordonnées avec les résultats d'études antérieures, sont offertes en vue d'ensemble.Les analyses morpho-tectoniques font ressortir des relations complexes entre la tectonique du fossé, l'érosion et la sédimentation. La possibilité d'une « inversion » des horizons latéritiques dans la région de subsidence et sédimentation s'annonce.Au moins trois phases de mouvement ont été ofservées le long de la faille qui délimite le fossé. L'activité tectonique du fossé commence après la formation de la «surface latéritique supérieure » et avant la sédimentation des couches du Miocène Inférieur.

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- — — . - . « » «laterite surfaces» . - . «upper laterite surface» - .

     

The expression of CYP1A,vitellogenin and zona radiata proteins in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) after oral dosing with two commercial PBDE flame retardant mixtures: absence of short-term responses

The short-term effects of the commercial PBDE flame retardant mixtures Penta-BDE and cta-BDE on the expression of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), vitellogenin (Vtg) and zona radiata proteins (Zrp) were investigated in juvenile salmon (Salmo salar). For this purpose, groups of fish were dosed twice (oral intake at days I and 4) with 10 and 50 mg/kg body weight of both commercial mixtures. The fishes were sacrificed at day 7 (n = 5 for each group) and 14 (n = 6 for each group), and blood, liver, fillet, and brain were collected. Blanks and positive controls were also part of the experiment. The expressions of Vtg, Zrp, and CYPIA were measured with several techniques (EROD, ELISA, Western, Northern and Slot Blot). The values in the groups of fish treated with Penta-BDE or Octa-BDE did not significantly differ from the reference group for any of the parameters tested. In contrast, the positive control groups treated with estradiol-17beta for Vtg and Zrp expression, and beta-naphthoflavone for CYP1A expression did show a significant response, indicating the potential sensitivity of the fishes for the parameters measured. Since the results of the chemical analyses showed concentrations of a number of PBDE congeners in liver, fillet, and brain that were about three orders of magnitude above those of fish from the North Sea, it is concluded that the short-term toxicity of both commercial PBDE mixtures for these endpoints was low.     

The 3D Geometry of Active Region Upflows Deduced from Their Limb-to-Limb Evolution

We analyze the evolution of coronal plasma upflows from the edges of AR 10978, which has the best limb-to-limb data coverage with Hinode’s EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS). We find that the observed evolution is largely due to the solar rotation progressively changing the viewpoint of nearly stationary flows. From the systematic changes in the upflow regions as a function of distance from disc center, we deduce their 3D geometrical properties as inclination and angular spread in three coronal lines (Si vii, Fe xii, and Fe xv). In agreement with magnetic extrapolations, we find that the flows are thin, fan-like structures rooted in quasi separatrix layers (QSLs). The fans are tilted away from the AR center. The highest plasma velocities in these three spectral lines have similar magnitudes and their heights increase with temperature. The spatial location and extent of the upflow regions in the Si vii, Fe xii, and Fe xv lines are different owing to i) temperature stratification and ii) line of sight integration of the spectral profiles with significantly different backgrounds. We conclude that we sample the same flows at different temperatures. Further, we find that the evolution of line widths during the disc passage is compatible with a broad range of velocities in the flows. Everything considered, our results are compatible with the AR upflows originating from reconnections along QSLs between over-pressure AR loops and neighboring under-pressure loops. The flows are driven along magnetic field lines by a pressure gradient in a stratified atmosphere. Our interpretation of the above results is that, at any given time, we observe the superposition of flows created by successive reconnections, leading to a broad velocity distribution.     

Latent heat effects of the major mantle phase transitions on low-angle subduction

Very low to zero shallow dip angles are observed at several moderately young subduction zones with an active trenchward moving overriding plate. We have investigated the effects of latent heat for this situation, where mantle material is pushed through the major mantle phase transitions during shallow low-angle subduction below the overriding plate. The significance of the buoyancy forces, arising from the latent heat effects, on the dynamics of the shallowly subducting slab is examined by numerical modeling. When a 32-Ma-old slab is overridden with 2.5 cm/yr by a continent, flat subduction occurs with a 4–5 cm/yr convergence rate. When latent heat is included in the model, forced downwellings cause a thermal anomaly and consequently thermal and phase buoyancy forces. Under these circumstances, the flat slab segment subducts horizontally about 350 km further and for about 11 Ma longer than in the case without latent heat, before it breaks through the 400-km phase transition. The style of subduction strongly depends on the mantle rheology: increasing the mantle viscosity by one order of magnitude can change the style of subduction from steep to shallow. Similarly, an overriding velocity of less than 1 cm/yr leads to steep subduction, which gradually changes to flat subduction when increasing the overriding velocity. However, these model parameters do not change the aforementioned effect of the latent heat, provided that low-angle subduction occurs. In all models latent heat resulted in a substantial increase of the flat slab length by 300–400 km. Varying the olivine–spinel transition Clapeyron slope γ from 1 to 6 MPa/K reveals a roughly linear relation between γ and the horizontal length of the slab. Based on these results, we conclude that buoyancy forces due to latent heat of phase transitions play an important role in low-angle subduction below an overriding plate.     

Variability of East Asian Winter Monsoon in Quaternary Climatic Extremes in North China

In order to examine high-frequency variations of East Asian winter monsoon in Quaternary climatic extremes, two typical loess–paleosol sequences in the Chinese Loess Plateau were investigated. Sandy layers in the loess deposits, the “Upper sand” and “Lower sand” (layers L9 and L15, respectively), which represent a high-resolution record of paleomonsoon changes, have been sampled at intervals of 5–6 cm from sections at Luochuan and Xifeng. The grain size and magnetic susceptibility was measured for all samples. The grain-size results (a proxy of winter monsoon strength) indicate that the winter monsoon strength fluctuated on a millennial timescale during cold climatic extremes, with climatic events of a few hundred to a few thousand years. However, the winter monsoon was relatively stable during warm periods. The magnetic susceptibility signal (a proxy of summer monsoon intensity) is practically constant over the same period. This is tentatively explained by the assumption that the summer monsoon intensity was too low to be recorded in the magnetic susceptibility signal. The intensified winter monsoon events show periodicities in a range of 1000 to 2770 yr, with a dominant cycle of approximately 1450 yr. The detection of this oscillation in older glacial stages strongly suggests that it may be a pervasive cycle of the cold climatic phases of the Quaternary. Millennial-scale variations of the winter monsoon may be caused by instability of the westerly jet, which is determined by temperature differences between the polar and the equatorial regions.     

Growth and reproduction of the bivalve Spisula subtruncata (da Costa) in Dutch coastal waters

The bivalve Spisula subtruncata is usually abundant in shallow coastal waters along the Dutch coast. However, its biomass has been decreasing since 1995. In order to assess whether reproductive failure may be the cause of the observed decline over the last decades, the energy investment in reproduction of a population of S. subtruncata from central Dutch coastal waters was studied. The population studied consisted of individuals of up to four years old. Shell length reached maximum values of around 32 mm and individual total body, somatic and gonadal ash-free dry mass reached maximum values of about 278 mg AFDM, 252 mg AFDM and 76 mg AFDM, respectively. A clear seasonal cycle in somatic and gonadal mass was observed. Somatic and gonadal mass indices increased in early spring and reached maximum values during summer, followed by a decrease to minimum values at the beginning of the following year. Spawning was in June–July and settlement of spat seems to have occurred in July–August. Mean oocyte diameter was 57.43 ± 0.03 μm, corresponding to a volume of 98972 μm³. These results suggested that reproductive failure was not the cause of the current population decline. Most likely, unsuccessful settlement of spat and/or severe predation during the first months of life were responsible for the observed patterns.     

Extension of a qualitative model on nutrient cycling and transformation to include microtidal estuaries on wave-dominated coasts: Southern hemisphere perspective

Estuaries are dynamic transition zones acting as filters and transformers of nutrients passing from catchments to the sea. We propose an extension to an existing southern hemisphere model on nutrient dynamics in estuaries to include the relatively constricted, microtidal estuaries located along wave-dominated coasts in the region, specifically focusing on the limiting macronutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and on key processes, including physical (e.g. flushing, mixing and sedimentation), geochemical (e.g. flocculation), biochemical (e.g. remineralisation) and biological (e.g. primary production) processes. A simplified model of the physical states (primarily controlled by hydrological characteristics) is used as the basis for the qualitative model, where these are defined in terms of characteristic salinity-induced stratification of the water column, flushing time and the mouth condition. Four physical states are identified: a freshwater-dominated state, freshwater pulsed/recovery state, marine-dominated state and the closed mouth state. The states and their physical characteristics largely resemble that of the earlier model, except that the extended model reflects the dynamics of restricted inlets and introduces the closed mouth state. This model specifically explores the variation within southern African estuarine systems to better inform research and management programmes on the appropriate trophic, temporal and spatial scales at which uncertainties in ecosystem functioning need resolving. It can also be applied to other regions in the southern hemisphere, and even the northern hemisphere, with similar hydrological and estuarine geomorphological characteristics (e.g. the Mediterranean coast, the west coasts of North and South America, and the south-west and south-eastern coasts of Australia).     

The effect of a topographic high on the morphological stability of a two-inlet bay system

The cross-sectional stability of two tidal inlets connecting the same back-barrier lagoon to the ocean is investigated. The condition for equilibrium is the cross-sectional area tidal prism relationship. In an earlier study [Van de Kreeke, J., 1990. Can multiple inlets be stable? Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 30: 261–273.], using the same equilibrium condition, it was concluded that where two inlets connect the same basin to the ocean ultimately one inlet will close. One of the major assumptions in that study was that the water level in the basin fluctuated uniformly. In hindsight this assumption might be too restrictive. For example, in the Wadden Sea the back barrier lagoon consists of a series of basins, rather than one single basin, separated by topographic highs. These topographic highs limit but do not exclude the exchange of water between the sub-basins. For this reason in the present study, a topographic high in the form of a weir was added, separating the back-barrier lagoon in two sub-basins. The water level in the sub-basins, rather than in the back-barrier as a whole, is assumed to fluctuate uniformly. For this schematization the hydrodynamic equations are solved using a finite difference method. The results, together with the equilibrium condition, yield the equilibrium flow curve for each of the inlets. The intersections of the two equilibrium flow curves represent combinations of cross-sectional areas for which both inlets are in equilibrium. The stability of the equilibriums was investigated using a non-linear stability analysis resulting in a flow diagram. Calculations were carried out for different inlet and weir characteristics. Sinussoidal tides were the same for both inlets. The results show that for relatively large wetted cross-sectional areas over the topographic high, approaching the situation of a single basin, there are no combinations of inlet cross-sectional areas for which both inlets are in a stable equilibrium. This supports the conclusion in the earlier study. For relatively small wetted cross-sectional areas over the topographic high there is one set of stable equilibriums. In that case the two-inlet bay system approaches that of two single-inlet bay systems.