Heavy metals in sinking particles and bottom sediments from the eastern Turkish coast of the Black Sea

Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb, As, and Sb were determined in sediment trap and bottom sediment samples collected seasonally from a station on the eastern Turkish coast of the Black Sea. Cd, Pb and Mn concentrations were highest in the sediment trap samples except during the summer period, whereas Co, Ni, Zn and Fe levels were much lower than corresponding levels found in the surface sediments. Cu, Cr, As and Sb levels showed no definite trend with sediment type. In general, with the exception of Cr, relatively lower metal concentrations in the sediment trap material were determined in the summer period. The highest mass flux, 56.5 g m⁻² day⁻¹, was measured during autumn. The highest flux of heavy metals also occurred during autumn and was strongly dependent on particle mass flux. Based on these results, we suggest that the downward vertical transport of particulate heavy metals in this region is related to the high degree of land erosion and the resultant particulate flux dynamics, which occur here. It was noteworthy that the highest concentrations of Cd, Cu, Co, Zn, Fe and Sb in particles were measured during winter a finding which suggests that enhanced fossil fuel combustion, which occurs during this period in adjacent urban and industrial areas plays an important role in the metal composition of sinking particles in nearshore waters.     

Cytogenetics of Anodonta cygnea (Mollusca: Bivalvia) as possible indicator of environmental adversity

Anodonta cygnea is a freshwater clam, belonging to the Unionidae family, which can be found in rivers and lagoons all over Europe and Northern America. As they appear as important case studies for ecological damage assessments, the various species of the Unionidae family have been submitted to a sort of recent studies on their chromosomal or cytogenetic status. In this study we confirmed the diploid chromosome number of 2n = 38 for this species, and established for the first time the karyotype, which comprised six metacentric, 12 submetacentric and one subtelocentric chromosome pairs. We also found a high percentage of cells with an abnormal number of chromosomes. Considering that karyotype disturbances in Unionids have been previously related with exposure to chemicals, either natural or produced by human activity, we determined the aneuploidy index for our population. The aneuploidy index is an excellent marker for pollutant presence/effect. The animals acclimatized in tap water and in natural water from the lake where the individuals were collected showed different levels of aneuploidy. The higher values were found in tap water. Chromosome analysis techniques seem a suitable tool to study the impact of contaminants referred above, and making A. cygnea a suitable organism for assessment of an eugenic damage in aquatic systems. On the other hand, our results also point out to the importance of doing the acclimatizing process of the collected animals in their own natural water.     

Effect of low salinity on the survival of recently hatched veliger of Nassarius reticulatus (L.) in estuarine habitats: A case study of Ria de Aveiro

The effect of low salinity on the survival of recently hatched veliger of the gastropod Nassarius reticulatus (L.) was studied under laboratory conditions at 17 °C ± 1 °C. Significant mortality occurred for salinities ≤ 17 psu and the LS₅₀ (salinity that causes 50% mortality) varied from 14.5 psu to 17.2 psu for exposures between 1 h and 48 h, respectively. The results were included in a mathematical model in order to estimate the mortality of N. reticulatus veliger in Ria de Aveiro under different salinity scenarios determined by numerical simulation. The model predicts a massive mortality of veliger immediately after their eclosion (1 h) in Ria de Aveiro during spring tide when the river input reaches its expected maximum — a situation that has been observed occasionally and may overlap a massive eclosion of veliger in the water. Except in this extreme situation, the mortality in Ria de Aveiro is generally restricted to the upstream limits of the channels. The results indicate that N. reticulatus recruitment in estuaries may strongly depend on the prevailing salinity regime.     

“三联式”成矿预测新进展

随着信息技术的发展 ,矿产勘查已步入数字化、定量化研究的新阶段。“三联式”成矿预测以地质异常分析为基础 ,以成矿多样性分析与矿床谱系研究为指导 ,将地质异常、成矿多样性及矿床谱系 3方面定量化研究紧密结合形成矿产预测及定量评价的切入点 ,是实现“数字找矿”的创新探索。文中对“三联式”成矿预测的基本理论进行了论述 ,结合在固体矿产和油气资源预测评价中的最新研究成果 ,重点论述了“三联式”成矿预测中的地质异常动态演化解析思路和“5P”靶区逐步逼近法。研究认为 :不同时期地质异常各自包含的矿产类型、组合特征与资源潜力等均有明显差异 ,应用地质异常动态演化的解析思路与方法 ,有效提取与相应成矿事件密切相关的致矿地质异常 ,是提高预测成果科学预见性的关键。并且 ,随着“三联式”成矿预测研究的不断深入 ,找矿信息由少到多 ,找矿范围由大到小 ,靶区级别由低到高 ,找矿成功概率逐步增大 ,勘探风险逐步降低。“5P”靶区圈定 ,从 1P到 5P依次研究目标内涵增大、外延减小、预测对象 (矿产种类及成因类型 )渐趋明确。     

Trends in dry spells across Catalonia (NE Spain) during the second half of the 20th century

Summary A spatiotemporal trend analysis of different magnitudes related to the number and length of the dry spells in Catalonia (NE Spain) has been conducted based on daily rainfall records taken from 40 rain gauges during the second half of the 20^th century. Dry spells have been computed for threshold levels of 0.1, 1, 5 and 10 mm/day at annual and semi-annual scales. The winter half-year is defined from October to March and the summer half-year from April to September. The magnitudes considered are the number, the maximum length and the mean length of the dry spells for every year and half-year. The spatial patterns of the average values of these magnitudes at the annual scale show a greater similarity with those of the summer half-year than with those of the winter half-year. A S–N or SW–NE gradient of the number of dry spells appears during the summer half-year for every threshold level. Trends of the analysed magnitudes are derived from linear regression and local statistical significances at the 95% confidence level are established using the Mann-Kendall test. Field significant trends are investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The most relevant finding is that the number of dry spells per year depicts significant trends for the annual and winter-half series, with an overall decreasing trend for 5 and 10 mm/day thresholds. These observed trends are in agreement with changes in North Atlantic cyclone tracks and in Mediterranean Low dynamics, due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.     

European dry spell length distributions, years 1951–2000

Daily precipitation records of 267 European rain gauges are considered to obtain dry spell length (DSL) series along the second half of the twentieth century. A dry spell consists of consecutive days with daily rain amount below a given threshold, R ₀. Four DSL series are obtained for R ₀ values equal to 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mm/day, and their empirical distributions are properly fitted to different statistical models: Pearson type III (PE3), Weibull (WEI), generalised Pareto, (GPA) and lognormal distributions. The parameters of every model are estimated by L-moments, and the goodness of fit is assessed by quantifying discrepancies between empirical and theoretical distributions in the L-skewness–kurtosis diagrams. The most common best-fitting model is PE3, especially for 0.1 and 1.0 mm/day. Nevertheless, a few stations in southern Europe are better modelled by the WEI distribution. For 5.0 and 10.0 mm/day, the spatial distribution of the best-fitting model is more heterogeneous than for the lowest thresholds. While PE3 is still the preferred model for Western Europe, some DSL series are better fitted to WEI or GPA models. Maps of DSL average and standard deviation and expected lengths for return periods of 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50 years show some common features. Whereas for thresholds of 0.1 and 1.0 mm/day, a N–S gradient is detected, especially in Mediterranean areas; for 5.0 and 10.0 mm/day, a NW–SE gradient is observed in the Iberian Peninsula and a SW–NE gradient in the Scandinavian Peninsula. Then, the vicinity to Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as orographic features, are more determining factors than the latitude in patterns associated with the highest R ₀ thresholds. Finally, a regional frequency analysis based on a clustering algorithm is attempted for the four thresholds R ₀, with the PE3 model as the parent distribution for the largest clusters.     

Climate change scenarios of heat waves in Central Europe and their uncertainties

The study examines climate change scenarios of Central European heat waves with a focus on related uncertainties in a large ensemble of regional climate model (RCM) simulations from the EURO-CORDEX and ENSEMBLES projects. Historical runs (1970–1999) driven by global climate models (GCMs) are evaluated against the E-OBS gridded data set in the first step. Although the RCMs are found to reproduce the frequency of heat waves quite well, those RCMs with the coarser grid (25 and 50 km) considerably overestimate the frequency of severe heat waves. This deficiency is improved in higher-resolution (12.5 km) EURO-CORDEX RCMs. In the near future (2020–2049), heat waves are projected to be nearly twice as frequent in comparison to the modelled historical period, and the increase is even larger for severe heat waves. Uncertainty originates mainly from the selection of RCMs and GCMs because the increase is similar for all concentration scenarios. For the late twenty-first century (2070–2099), a substantial increase in heat wave frequencies is projected, the magnitude of which depends mainly upon concentration scenario. Three to four heat waves per summer are projected in this period (compared to less than one in the recent climate), and severe heat waves are likely to become a regular phenomenon. This increment is primarily driven by a positive shift of temperature distribution, but changes in its scale and enhanced temporal autocorrelation of temperature also contribute to the projected increase in heat wave frequencies.     

Notes on Extended-Range Atmospheric Prediction in the Northern Hemisphere Winter

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Sm–Nd isotopic compositions as a proxy for magmatic processes during the Neoproterozoic of the southern Brazilian shield

Combined analyses of Nd isotopes from a wide range of Neoarchaean–Cretaceous igneous rocks provides a proxy to study magmatic processes and the evolution of the lithosphere. The main igneous associations include the Neoproterozoic granitoids from the southern Brazilian shield, which were formed during two tectonothermal events of the Brasiliano cycle: the São Gabriel accretionary orogeny (900–700 Ma) and the Dom Feliciano collisional orogeny (660–550 Ma). Rocks related to the formation of the São Gabriel arc (900–700 Ma) mainly have a depleted juvenile signature. For the Neoproterozoic collisional event, the petrogenetic discussion focuses on two old crustal segments and three types of mantle components. However, no depleted juvenile material was involved in the formation of the Dom Feliciano collisional belt (800–550 Ma), which implies an ensialic environment for the Dom Feliciano orogeny. In the western Neoproterozoic foreland, records of a Neoarchaean lower crust predominate, whereas a Paleoproterozoic crust does in the eastern Dom Feliciano belt. The western foreland includes two amalgamated geotectonic domains, the São Gabriel arc and Taquarembó block. In the collisional belt, the old crust was intensely reworked during the São Gabriel event. In addition to the Neoproterozoic subduction-processed subcontinental lithosphere (São Gariel arc), we recognize two old enriched mantle components, which also are identified in the Paleoproterozoic intraplate tholeiites from Uruguay and the Cretaceous potassic suites from eastern Paraguay. One end member displays the prominent influence of Trans-Amazonian (2.3–2.0 Ga) or older subduction events, whereas the other can be interpreted as a reenrichment of the first during the latest Trans-Amazonian collisional or younger events. This reenriched mantle is documented in late Neoproterozoic suites from the western foreland (605–550 Ma) and younger suites from the eastern collisional belt (600–580 Ma). The other enriched mantle component with an old subduction signature, however, appears only in older rocks of the collisional belt (800–600 Ma). The participation of the subduction-related Brasiliano mantle as an end member of binary mixing occurred in some early Neoproterozoic suites (605–580 Ma) from the western foreland, but the contribution of the Neoarchaean lower crust increased near the late igneous event (575–550 Ma).     

中国西部环境演变及其影响研究

文章综述了气候与中国西部环境演变过程及其对社会经济的影响 ,特别分析了人类活动和全球变暖条件下的演变特征。以政府间气候变化专门委员会 (IPCC) )的研究方法 ,采用全球大气海洋耦合模式和区域气候模式 ,预测了 2 0 10年、2 0 30年和 2 0 5 0年中国西部地区未来气候生态环境的可能变化趋势即情景。对西部地区生态与经济的脆弱性问题也作了分析 ,最后提出了在西部大开发中实施生态环境保护与可持续发展双赢战略的思想。