A Comparison of Predation Rates by Non-indigenous and Indigenous Crabs (Juvenile Carcinus maenas, Juvenile Cancer irroratus, and Adult Dyspanopeus sayi) in Laboratory and Field Experiments

Mean daily consumption rates on Mytilus spp. were compared among juveniles of the non-indigenous Carcinus maenas, juveniles of the indigenous Cancer irroratus, and adults of the indigenous Dyspanopeus sayi between June and August 2005 to assess the relative impact of juvenile C. maenas in field (Benacadie Channel (45°54′ N, 60°53′ E), Bras d’Or Lakes, Nova Scotia, Canada) and laboratory experiments. This study examined: (1) whether consumption rates in a field setting vary among species; (2) the effect of laboratory and field settings on species-specific consumption rates, and whether rates vary between settings for each species; and (3) the effects of temperature and salinity on the consumption rates of these species. In field experiments, there was no significant difference in consumption among C. maenas, C. irroratus, and D. sayi (0.100?±?0.067, 0.450?±?0.189, and 0.800?±?0.423 mussels crab^?1 d^?1, respectively). However, both C. maenas and C. irroratus consumed two to four times more prey in the laboratory than in the field. D. sayi prey consumption was also greater (although not significant) in the laboratory than in the field. In the laboratory, consumption rate was greater for C. irroratus in salinities of 26 than 17 (2.75 and 1.69–1.81 mussels crab^?1 d^?1, respectively), and in 17°C than 13°C (1.10–1.21 and 0.56–0.64 mussels crab^?1 d^?1, respectively) for C. maenas. In all experiments, consumption rates of juvenile C. maenas were lower than or similar to those of the juvenile and adult indigenous species, suggesting that the potential predatory impact of juvenile C. maenas on Mytilus spp. may not be as significant as that of the adults of this non-indigenous species.     

Sludge weathering and mobility of contaminants in soil affected by the Aznalcollar tailing dam spill (SW Spain)

As a result of the collapse of the Aznalcollar mine tailings dam, a large extension of the Guadiamar valley in SW Spain was covered with a layer of pyrite sludge. Although most of the sludge was removed, a small amount remains in the soil, constituting a potential source of water pollution. A column experiment was carried out in order to determine the rate of sludge oxidation in the soil, and the existence of metal retention processes. The column was filled with a mixture of sludge and a sandy soil common in the region. At different time intervals, the column was leached with water and the resulting solution analysed.

The pH of the water dropped to values around 2 after 260 days and then remained constant due to the buffering role of silicate dissolution. The concentration of Zn, Cd and Co in the leachates matched the expected values from flow-through experiments at atmospheric oxygen pressure. This indicates that oxygen diffusion in the pores was complete. Moreover, no efficient processes existed for retaining Zn, Cd and Co, which formed soluble salts and were entirely incorporated into the infiltrating water. During the first 2 months of the experiment, when pH was higher than 4.5, the concentrations of Fe and Al were very low. Saturation indices showed that the solution was in equilibrium with amorphous Fe(OH)₃ and Al(OH)₃. Subsequently, at lower pH values, jarosite [(Na,K)Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆] formed. This solid phase was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Jarosite was also responsible for the depletion of As, Pb, Sb and probably Tl in the water resulting from infiltration.     

The El Salvador earthquakes of January and February 2001: context, characteristics and implications for seismic risk

The small Central American republic of El Salvador has experienced, on average, one destructive earthquake per decade during the last hundred years. The latest events occurred on 13 January and 13 February 2001, with magnitudes M_w 7.7 and 6.6, respectively. The two events, which were of different tectonic origin, follow the patterns of the seismicity of the region although neither event has a known precedent in the earthquake catalogue in terms of size and location. The earthquakes caused damage to thousands of traditionally built houses and triggered hundreds of landslides, which were the main causes of fatalities. The earthquakes have clearly demonstrated trends of increasing seismic risk in El Salvador due to rapid population expansion in areas of high shaking and landslide hazard, exacerbated by deforestation and uncontrolled urbanisation. The institutional mechanisms required for the control of land use and building practice are very weak and present a major obstacle to risk mitigation.     

Alpujarride attribution of the supposed ‘Almagride Complex’ (Betic Internal Zone,Almerı́a Province,Spain)Appartenance Alpujarride du prétendu « Complexe almagride » (Zones internes bétiques,province d'Almeria,Espagne)

The differentiation of units in the Sierra de Almagro has been a source of controversy. There were defined the Almagride and Ballabona–Cucharón complexes, the former considered by several authors as part of a Subbetic metamorphosed and outcropping in a tectonic window. In this study, the units of Ballabona, Almagro and Cucharón are integrated into a single one, that of Tres Pacos, because they correspond to different parts of the same stratigraphic series. This unit is tectonically over the Nevado–Filabride Complex. The existence of the Almagride and Ballabona–Cucharón complexes is discarded and their units form part of the Alpujarride Complex. To cite this article: C. Sanz de Galdeano, F.J. Garc??a Tortosa, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 355–362.     

Old inherited origin for the present near-bimodal topography of Africa

Africa’s landscape is dominated by a manifold of second-order epeirogenic structures superimposed on a first-order bimodal topography. Bivariate regression analysis of Africa’s surface topography shows that this is a complexly folded surface with regionally elevated areas in southern and eastern Africa, and a topographically low northern and western Africa. The apparent spatial relationships between these features are analysed using anomaly correlation between surface topography and free-air gravity anomalies. Occurrences of positively correlated features between gravity and topography in Africa are found to be limited to second-order epeirogenic features. Geophysical modelling and geologic evidence indicate that Africa’s bimodal topography is genetically distinct from these second-order features, and linked to sources as deep as the sublithospheric mantle. The age, measured and modelled elevation of the bimodal topography require that topographic uplift of south-central Africa be episodic. We infer from our findings together with relative sea-level changes, that the near-bimodality of Africa’s topography is an ancient feature inherited at least from upper Paleozoic times. Our reconstructed paleotopography suggests that Africa was largely a low-lying continent dominated by its cratons, and that basement distribution disregards the present-day uplift patterns of Africa.     

Prediction in hydrogeology: two case histories

An inherent aspect of hydrogeology is the dynamic character of groundwater flow within the more passive lithospheric medium. Prediction therefore requires insight into the spatial pattern of aquifer properties as well as the dynamic character of groundwater flow systems. Both aspects together determine hydrogeological system behaviour in space and time. The spatial characteristics of an aquifer are mainly based on geological and geomorphological structure, whereas the dynamics of the system result predominantly from climate and topography; knowledge of paleoconditions are a prerequisite for sound understanding of present systems. The integration of exploration and forecast is illustrated by two case studies. The first study focuses on an assessment of groundwater resource and their sustainable development in semi-arid Botswana. The second study concerns the impact of land and water management in the Netherlands coastal area on the groundwater regime and its future development, including the redistribution of salt and fresh groundwater on a long time scale.     

Neuralizing target superresolution algorithms

Tatem et al. (2001) have designed a Hopfield network-based algorithm for superresolving discrete targets that are larger than the sample spacing of an image. The algorithm iteratively minimizes a criterion function that contains a sigmoidal activation term. We have altered their algorithm to bring it in line with Hopfield's original network by reducing the pseudotemperature of the sigmoid. We found that smaller values of the pseudotemperature lead to faster convergence to a solution and resulting solutions that are more accurate.     

Vegetation dynamics during the late Pleistocene in the Barreirinhas region, Maranhão State, northeastern Brazil, based on carbon isotopes in soil organic matter

The study place is in the Barreirinhas region, Maranhão State, northeastern Brazil. A vegetation transect of 78 km was studied among four vegetation types: Restinga (coastal vegetation), Cerrado (woody savanna), Cerradão (dense woody savanna), and Forest, as well as three forested sites around Lagoa do Caçó, located approximately 10 km of the transect. Soil profiles in this transect were sampled for δ¹³C analysis, as well as buried charcoal fragments were used for ¹⁴C dating. The data interpretation indicated that approximately between 15,000 and ∼9000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., arboreal vegetation prevailed in the whole transect, probably due to the presence of a humid climate. Approximately between ∼9000 and 4000-3000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., there was the expansion of the savanna, probably related to the presence of drier climate. From ∼4000-3000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. to the present, the results indicated an increase in the arboreal density in the area, due to the return to a more humid and probably similar climate to the present. The presence of buried charcoal fragments in several soil depths suggested the occurrence of palaeofires during the Holocene. The vegetation dynamic inferred in this study for northeastern Brazil is in agreement with the results obtained in areas of Amazon region, based on pollen analysis of lake sediments and carbon isotope analysis of soil organic matter (SOM), implying than similar climatic conditions have affected these areas during the late Pleistocene until the present.