Improving fluorometry as a source tracking method to detect human fecal contamination

In a continuing effort to develop inexpensive source tracking methods to detect human fecal contamination in environmental waters, targeted sampling was combined with fluorometry. Targeted sampling works by identifying hot spots of fecal contamination through multiple samplings over ever-decreasing distances. Fluorometry identifies human fecal contamination by detecting optical brighteners, primarily from laundry detergents. Because organic matter fluoresces and interferes with fluorometry, two locations were chosen for sampling: waters relatively low in organic matter at Mayagüez Bay, Puerto Rico, and waters relatively high in organic matter at St. Simons Island, Georgia. In Puerto Rico, targeted sampling and fluorometry quickly and easily identified two hot spots of human fecal contamination in the Yagüez River, which flows through the city of Mayagüez. Another source tracking method, detection of theesp gene, confirmed their human origin. On St. Simous Island, targeted sampling and fiuorometry identified two hot spots of potential human fecal contamination. Detection of theesp gene confirmed the human origin of one site but not the other, most likely because background organic matter fluorescence interfered with fhiorometry. A separate experiment showed that adding a 436-um emission filter to the fluorometer reduced this background fluorescence by > 50%. With the 436-nm Filter in place, another sampling was conducted on St. Simons Island, and the second hot spot was identified as fecal contamination from birds. As long as the fluorometer was equipped with a 436-nm filter and organic matter concentrations were considered, targeted sampling combined with fluorometry was a relatively inexpensive method for identifying human fecal contamination in water.     

A Pulsed Laser Photolysis-Resonance Fluorescence Kinetic Study of the Atmospheric Cl Atom-Initiated Oxidation of Propene and a Series of 3-Halopropenes at Room Temperature

Absolute rate coefficient measurements have been carried out for the reactions of Cl atoms with propene and a series of 3-halopropenes, at room temperature (298 ± 2) K using a newly constructed laser photolysis-resonance fluorescence (PLP-RF) system. The rate coefficients obtained (in units of cm³ molecule^–1 s^–1) are: propene (1.40± 0.24) ×10^–10, 3-fluoropropene (4.92 ± 0.42) ×10^–11, 3-chloropropene (7.47 ± 1.50) × 10^–11, 3-bromopropene (1.23± 0.14) ×10^–10 and 3-iodopropene (1.29± 0.15) ×10^–10. In order to test this new system, the reactions of Cl atoms with acetone and isoprene have also been studied and compared with data previously reported. The rate coefficients determined at room temperature for these last two reactions are (2.93 ± 0.20) ×10^–12 cm³ molecule^–1 s^{– 1} and (3.64± 0.20)×10^–10 cm³ molecule^–1 s^–1, respectively. The measured values were independent of pressure over the range 20–200 Torr. The influence of the different halogen atoms substituents on the reactivity of these alkenes with Cl atoms as well as the atmospheric implications of these measurements are studied and discussed for the first time in this work and compared with the reactivity with NO₃ and OH radicals.     

The boreal spring variability of the Intra-Americas low-level jet and its relation with precipitation and tornadoes in the eastern United States

The Intra-Americas Sea (IAS) low-level jet has been studied mainly for the summer and winter seasons. In contrast, spring conditions have been studied less. Here we analyze the boreal spring variability of the IAS low-level jet (IA-LLJ) and its relation with precipitation and tornadic activity in the region of the lower Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio River basins (MORB). The main mode of variability of the spring IA-LLJ is obtained from a combined principal component analysis of zonal and meridional winds at 925-hPa. The first empirical orthogonal function of the IA-LLJ is a strengthening of the climatological flow with stronger easterlies in the Caribbean and stronger southeasterlies in the Gulf of Mexico. This first mode of variability of the IA-LLJ is related mainly to the Pacific North American (PNA) teleconnection pattern as the PNA modulates the pressure in the southeast region of the U.S. Consequently, there is an increase in precipitation over the MORB region as the moisture fluxes associated with the IA-LLJ increase. Tornadic activity in nine states spanning the MORB region is also significantly related to the IA-LLJ and the PNA index for March, in addition to the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and the Ni?o indexes. Among the environmental factors that influence tornadic activity are southwesterly wind shear, dry transients at the mid-troposphere, moist transients at low levels, and an increase in convective available potential energy (CAPE). The decadal shifts in MORB precipitation and tornado activity appear to be related to the decadal shift of the IA-LLJ.     

The gas-phase reaction of ClONO2 with hydrogen chloride

The gas-phase reaction of ClONO₂ with HCl was investigated using two large-volume environmental chambers with analysis by in situ long pathlength Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. In these chambers the reaction was observed to proceed, at least in part, by heterogenous routes, and an upper limit to the rate constant for the homogeneous gas-phase reaction of geneous routes, and an upper limit to the rate constant for the homogeneous gas-phase reaction of $$k\left( {{\text{ClONO}}_{\text{2}} + {\text{HCl}}} \right) < 1.5 \times 10^{ - 19} {\text{ cm}}^{\text{3}} {\text{ molecule}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} {\text{ s}}^{{\text{ - 1}}}$$ Was derived at 298±2K. Assuming that this room-temperature upper limit to the rate constant is applicable to stratospheric temperatures, this homogeneous gas-phase reaction can be estimated to be of negligible importance as a ClONO₂ loss process in the stratosphere.     

Pseudo 3-D modeling of trishear fault-propagation folding

Basement structures, to which trishear fault-propagation models have most successfully been applied, are commonly three-dimensional folds formed at the tip-line of a fault. We present here a ‘pseudo-3D’ trishear model in which various parameters are permitted to vary along strike and oblique-slip can be modeled. These variations may be combined in an infinite number of ways, facilitating the simulation of many real structures. A thrust changing from blind to emergent can be produced by a change in the slip or propagation-to-slip (P/S) along strike. Folds with forelimbs changing from overturned to upright along strike can be modeled either by changing the slip, P/S or trishear angle. Also some minor folds perpendicular or oblique to the main structure can result from changes in the trishear angle or fault angle along the strike. Models including growth strata show that it is practically impossible to distinguish between growth and pre-growth strata using the map patterns. As a field test, we have modeled the oblique slip East Kaibab monocline, demonstrating a good fit between the field observations and model predictions.     

Oil spill fishery impact assessment modeling: The fisheries recruitment problem

A model to assess the impact of oil spill on fisheries, consisting of an oil spill fates model, a continental shelf hydrodynamics model, an ichthyoplankton transport and fates model, and a fish population model, has been applied to the Georges Bank-Gulf of Maine region to estimate the impact of oil spills on several important commercial fisheries. The model addresses direct impacts of oil on a fishery through hydrocarbon-induced egg and larval mortality. This early life stage mortality is estimated by dynamically mapping the spatial intersection of the surface and subsurface oil concentrations resulting from the spill with the developing eggs and larvae. Ichthyoplankton entering an area with hydrocarbon concentrations in excess of a specified threshold are assumed lost. Model output is given in terms of differential catch, comparing the non-impacted and the hydrocarbon impacted fisheries. Difficulties in establishing stock-recruit relationships, and the inability to predict first year survival even one year ahead make the quantification of absolute catch losses impossible. Output of the model system discussed here is therefore limited to relative rather than absolute catch losses.The paper is organized to demonstrate first the importance of the recruitment question to impact estimation, second that a modeling methodology is necessary to evaluate impacts given the magnitude of unexplained observed recruitment variability, and third a stochastic solution to the problem which places impact estimates in the context of a probability distribution. Lastly, the model system is applied to the problem of attaining better early life history mortality estimates, to ultimately improve impact estimation capabilities.     

Phylogeography of the bluespotted cornetfish,Fistularia commersonii: a predictor of bioinvasion success?

Biological invasions result in huge ecological and economic impacts; therefore, a great amount of effort is dedicated to predicting the potential success of newly established or candidate bioinvaders. Thus far, over 90 species of fish have entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez canal, the so‐called Lessepsian bioinvaders. The bluespotted cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii, is remarkable in its ability to disperse within the Mediterranean and has been dubbed ‘the Lessepsian sprinter’. In just a few years, starting in 2000, it expanded over the entire area, from the Suez Canal to Gibraltar. Theoretical predictions correlate the dispersal capabilities of an invader in its native range (using the population genetic metrics, F_st, as a proxy) with its dispersal capability in its invading area (continuous extent of spread, CES). Here, we estimated the population genetic characteristics of Indo‐Pacific native populations of F. commersonii in order to determine if this Lessepsian ‘sprinter’ fits the predictive model of dispersal. Indeed, we found that even in the case of such a very rapid range expansion, the predicted relationship between F_st and CES is fulfilled in F. commersonii.     

Doubly-symmetric horseshoe orbits in the general planar three-body problem

We present some results about the continuation of doubly-symmetric horseshoe orbits in the general planar three-body problem. This is done by means of solving a boundary value problem with one free parameter which is the quotient of the masses of two bodies μ ₃=m ₃/m ₁, keeping constant μ ₂=m ₂/m ₁ (m ₁ represents the mass of a big planet whereas m ₂ and m ₃ of minor bodies). For the numerical continuation of the horseshoe orbits we have considered m ₂/m ₁=3.5×10^?4, and the variation of μ ₃ from 3.5×10^?4 to 9.7×10^?5 or vice versa, depending on the orbit selected as “seed”. We discuss some issues related to the periodicity and symmetry of the orbits. We study the stability of some of them taking the limit μ ₃→0. The numerical continuation was done using the software AUTO.     

Analysis of crustal deformation in Luzon, Philippines using geodetic observations and earthquake focal mechanisms

We utilize regional GPS velocities from Luzon, Philippines, with focal mechanism data from the Harvard Centroid Moment Tensor (CMT) Catalog, to constrain tectonic deformation in the complex plate boundary zone between the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasia (the Sundaland block). Processed satellite imagery and digital elevation models are used with existing gravity anomaly, seismicity, and geologic maps to define a suite of six elastic blocks. Geodetic and focal mechanism data are inverted simultaneously to estimate plate rotations and fault-locking parameters for each of the tectonic blocks and faults comprising Luzon. Major tectonic structures that were found to absorb the plate convergence include the Manila Trench (20–100 mm yr^− 1) and East Luzon Trough ( 9–15 mm yr^− 1)/Philippine Trench ( 29–34 mm yr^− 1), which accommodate eastward and westward subduction beneath Luzon, respectively; the left-lateral strike-slip Philippine Fault ( 20–40 mm yr^− 1), and its northward extensions, the Northern Cordillera Fault ( 17–37 mm yr^− 1 transtension), and the Digdig Fault ( 17–27 mm yr^− 1 transpression). The Macolod Corridor, a zone of active volcanism, crustal thinning, extension, and extensive normal and strike-slip faulting in southwestern Luzon, is associated with left-lateral, transtensional slip of  5–10 mm yr^− 1. The Marikina Fault, which separates the Central Luzon block from the Southwestern Luzon block, reveals  10–12 mm yr^− 1 of left-lateral transpression. Our analysis suggests that much of the Philippine Fault and associated splays are locked to partly coupled, while the Manila and Philippine trenches appear to be poorly coupled. Luzon is best characterized as a tectonically active plate boundary zone, comprising six mobile elastic tectonic blocks between two active subduction zones. The Philippine Fault and associated intra-arc faults accommodate much of the trench-parallel component of relative plate motion.