Modelling the influence of environmental and weather factors on the density of the invasive polychaete Boccardia proboscidea

The inter‐tidal zone around sewage discharges in a Southwest Atlantic shore (Mar del Plata, Argentina) is currently colonized by extensive inter‐tidal reefs of the invasive spionid Boccardia proboscidea. Understanding the links between both human and natural disturbances and the massive development of non‐indigenous species will help prevent marine bioinvasions, which are already favoured by global oceanic trade. We present herein predictive models for variations in the density of B. proboscidea around sewage discharges of Mar del Plata, using environmental (pH, turbidity, temperature, salinity and total organic matter content), weather (wind direction and storm records), spatial (sites) and temporal (season and year) variables. Density variations were modelled by generalized linear models, and model averaging (multimodel inference) was used to obtain predicted values. The highest predicted values of B. proboscidea density occurred at sites to the south of the sewage effluent in spring. These sites are more affected by urban effluent discharges and they showed increased B. proboscidea density when the north wind was predominant. In addition, B. proboscidea density values were higher in sites with 20–22 °C (seawater temperature), high total organic matter content in sediments and low salinity. The averaged model was only a good ‘predictive model’ for sites to the north of the outfall, but was useful as an ‘explanatory model’ in all sites. Such predictions may help to back up conservation and management policies and decisions.     

Physiological Constraints in Juvenile <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ostrea chilensis</Emphasis> Fed the Toxic Dinoflagellate <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alexandrium catenella</Emphasis>

Frequent blooms of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella in southern Chile encouraged undertaking the present study which uses the oyster Ostrea chilensis as a model for evaluating the feeding, growth, lipid storage and mortality responses to diets containing paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) produced by A. catenella. Medium-term (30 days) physiological responses of two groups of juvenile oysters were measured every 10 days. Five replicates were exposed to diets containing A. catenella and other five replicates were fed with a diet containing the non-toxic algae Isochrysis galbana. Diets were continuously supplied at a concentration of 2 mg L^?1, in which the feeding and metabolic activity was measured, and the scope for growth calculated. Lipids storage, actual growth and mortality were also measured every 10 days. The results showed that the toxic diet has dramatic negative effects on feeding and metabolism of the juvenile individuals of O. chilensis, with high reduction of the lipid storage and growth. Mortality was also increased in individuals fed with the contaminated diet. This study supports the conclusion that the toxic dinoflagellate A. catenella restricts the energy acquisition in the juvenile O. chilensis, an important fishery and aquaculture resource in southern Chile.     

Magnetic parameters,trace elements,and multivariate statistical studies of river sediments from southeastern India: a case study from the Vellar River

This contribution constitutes a new study using magnetic parameters and trace element determinations of pollutants in river sediments from the Tamil Nadu state. The Vellar River covers a total length of about 200 km and flows into the Bay of Bengal. Sediment samples were collected at different sediment depths (up to 90 cm) from 12 sites to investigate their magnetic properties (27 samples) and the contents of trace elements (21 out of 27 samples) along the river; as well as to perform magnetic studies for various grain size fractions (16 sub samples). The magnetic results of magnetic susceptibility and remanent magnetizations suggest that the magnetic signal of these sediments is controlled by ferrimagnetic minerals magnetite-like minerals and a minor contribution of antiferromagnetic carriers (such as hematite minerals). Detailed studies of selected samples showed a higher magnetic concentration in finer grain-sized fractions and a slightly different magnetic mineralogy. Magnetic concentration-dependent parameters evidenced high values, which, together with the background values, allowed us to identify magnetic enhancement at some sites. The Pearson correlation and multivariate statistical studies (Principal Component Analysis, Canonical Correlation Analysis) supported the relationship between the magnetic and chemical variables; in particular, magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic and isothermal remanent magnetization are closely correlated to Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, V, Zn, and the pollution load index. In addition, Principal Coordinate Analysis and fuzzy C-means cluster analysis allowed us to make a classification and to perform a magnetic-chemical characterization of the data into four groups, thereby identifying critical (possibly polluted) sites from the Vellar River.     

Spatial and long-term analyses of reference and sewage-impacted sites in the SW Atlantic (38°S, 57°W) for the assessment of sensitive and tolerant polychaetes

Discharges of effluent in urbanized littoral areas produce nonlinear changes in benthic organisms. Data on the composition of the benthic community are often used to obtain environmental quality classifications that serve to indicate the health of the environment. This study conducted a comparative analysis of the polychaetes associated with mussel beds and related these results to the values of environmental variables at both reference and sewage-impacted sites over a 10 year period in a rocky intertidal habitat on the coast of the SW Atlantic. The results of the study showed spatial and temporal differences in the abundance and dominance of the polychaetes. The study also furnished evidence of a decrease in the environmental quality of the area. This study allowed the classification of the polychaetes into ecological groups, facilitating the calculation of environmental quality indexes.     

Vehicle-derived emissions and pollution on the road autovia 2 investigated by rock-magnetic parameters: A case study from Argentina

In this work, we carried out a preliminary study of traffic-derived pollutants from primary sources (vehicles), and on roads (paved area), road borders and surroundings areas. The study is focussed on the identification, distribution and concentration of pollutants and magnetic carriers. Magnetic parameters and their analyses suggest that the magnetic signal of vehicle-derived emissions is controlled by a magnetite-like phase. Magnetic grain size estimations reveal the presence of fine particles (0.1–5 μm) that can be inhaled and therefore are dangerous to human health. Magnetic susceptibility results (about 175 × 10⁻⁵ SI) show a higher magnetic concentration — magnetic enhancement — in the central area of the tollbooth line that is related to higher traffic. In addition, magnetic susceptibility was computed on several roadside soils along a length of 120 km and used to generate a 2-D contour map, which shows higher magnetic values (100–200 10⁻⁵ SI) near the edge of the road. The observed distribution of magnetic values indicates that magnetic particles emitted by vehicles are accumulated and mainly concentrated within a distance of several meters (1–2 m) from the edge of the road. In consequence, the magnetic susceptibility parameter seems to be a suitable indicator of traffic-related pollution. Non-magnetic studies show an enrichment of some trace elements, such as Ba, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb, that are associated with traffic pollution. Furthermore, statistical correlations between the content of toxic trace metals and magnetic variables support the use of magnetic parameters as potential proxies for traffic-related pollution in this study area.     

Particulate matter pollution from a small coke-burning factory: soil magnetic screening and its relation with a simple atmospheric dispersion model

Coal combustion processes lead to release of gases and particulate matter (PM) into the atmosphere that are often harmful to human health. These airborne pollutants seem to be dispersed and deposited in soils mainly according to the prevailing atmospheric conditions. Several trace elements can be found attached to PM as well as Fe-rich magnetic particles that can produce magnetic enhancement in the uppermost soil horizons. In the present work, we use a simple Gaussian Dispersion Model (GDM) for modelling the distribution of fine PM emission coming from a small coal (coke) burning factory in order to evaluate the relationship between such modelled data (PM distribution) and measured data (soil magnetic properties and trace metal contents). Our results show a strong spatial variation of concentration-dependent magnetic parameters based on a uniform magnetomineralogy in the overall study area. In addition, these results were analysed using multivariate statistics for 13 magnetic and chemical variables and the GDM results for two different atmospheric stability classes, and hence the in-situ magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic and saturation remanent magnetization showed positive and statistically significant correlation with the GDM results (R = 0.70). Therefore, these results demonstrate the usefulness of magnetic properties in monitoring the PM distribution in soils or other environmental PM collectors.     

Seasonal-dependence in the responses of biological communities to flood pulses in warm temperate floodplain lakes: implications for the “alternative stable states” model

In floodplains located in temperate regions, seasonal variations in temperature affect biological communities and these effects may overlap with those of the flood regime. In this study we explored if and how timing (with regard to temperature seasonality) influences the responses of planktonic and free-floating plants communities to floods in a warm temperate floodplain lake and assessed its relevance for determining state shifts. We took samples of zooplankton, phytoplankton, picoplankton, heterotrophic nanoflagellates and free-floating macrophytes at four sites of the lake characterized by the presence-absence of emergent or free-floating macrophytes along a 2-year period with marked hydrological fluctuations associated to river flood dynamics. We performed ANOVA tests to compare the responses of these communities to floods in cold and warm seasons and among sites. Planktonic communities developed high abundances in response to floods that occurred in the cold season, while the growth of free-floating macrophytes was impaired by low winter temperatures. Spring and summer floods favored profuse colonization by free-floating plants and limited the development of planktonic communities. The prolonged absence of floods during warm periods caused environmental conditions that favored Cyanobacteria growth, leading to a “low turbid waters” regime. The occurrence of floods early in the warm season caused phytoplankton dilution and promoted free-floating plant colonization and a shift towards a “high clear waters” state. Zooplankton:phytoplankton biomass ratio was very low during floods in warm seasons, thus zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton seemed to play a minor role in the maintenance of the clear regime.     

Potential effect of natural radionuclides in riverbed sediments: a statistical approach based on granulometric and magnetic mineral differences

South India is one of the regions in the world that has the highest background radiation levels. In this region, river sediments are used in large quantities as building material. Therefore, the knowledge of the radionuclides distribution in such sediments is important for assessing their potential adverse effects on humans residing in buildings made of sediment material. For this goal, we focus on the determination of the natural radioactivity levels and magnetic properties in sediment samples collected from 33 locations along the southwestern Bharathapuzha river originating from the Anamalai hills. The sediment samples were subdivided into two categories according to particle size. It is observed that the average activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K in sediment samples varied greatly with granulometric and geological differences. The average values of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K and its associated radiological hazard parameters for category II samples (particle size between 149 μm and 2 mm) were lower than category I sediment samples (bulk samples). Moreover, the average radionuclide activity concentrations (except for ⁴⁰K) and the calculated radiation hazard parameters are higher in the lowland region compared to the highland and the midland regions. The mass-specific magnetic susceptibility values ranged widely along the river, as well as between physiographic regions, e.g., average values for category I sediment samples were 950.2 × 10^?8, 351.1 × 10^?8 and 131.8 × 10^?8 m³ kg^?1 (for high-, mid- and lowland regions, respectively). Differences between physiographic regions and sediment fractions from both radioactivity determinations and magnetic parameters were analyzed with statistical tests and multivariate analysis, which showed the advantages of using both independent techniques.     

Fractal dimension of profiles and surfaces using fuzzy morphological coverings

In this paper, we propose a new method, based on fuzzy morphology coverings, to estimate the fractal dimension of profiles and surfaces. This method is geometrically intuitive and simple to implement. Algorithmically, the method fits a covering to the frames or blocks of the profile or surface using fuzzy morphology. Varying the dimension of the frame or block, estimates of the length or area covered are then used to find the fractal dimension. Validation of the proposed method is performed by comparing its results with known fractal dimensions of mathematical profiles. The method is used to obtain the fractal dimension of rock profiles and surfaces.     

Paleosecular variations 12–20 Kyr as recorded by sediments from Lake Moreno (Southern Argentina)

We present results of paleomagnetic and sedimentological studies carried out on three cores Lmor1, Lmo98-1, Lmor98-2 from bottom sediments of Lake Moreno (south-western Argentina), and integrate them with data from our previous studies. Measurements of directions (declination D and inclination I) and mass specific intensity of natural remanent magnetization (NRM intensity), magnetic susceptibility (specific, χ and volumetric, κ), isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM), saturation of isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM), and back field remanent coercivity (B_0CR) were performed. The stability of the NRM was investigated using alternating-field demagnetization. The results show that these sediments meet the criteria required to construct a reliable paleomagnetic record. The cores were correlated very well based on magnetic parameters, such as χ and NRM intensity, as well as with lithological features. Tephra layers were identified from the lithological profiles and magnetic susceptibility logs. We obtained the D and I logs of the characteristic remanent magnetization for the cores as a function of shortened depth. The data from the three cores were combined to form a composite record using the Fisher method. A comparison between stacked inclination and declination records of Lake Moreno and those obtained in previous works on Lake Escondido and Lake El Trébol shows good agreement. This agreement made it possible to transform the stacked curves into time series spanning the interval 12–20 kyr. The results obtained improved our knowledge of SV and the behaviour of the geomagnetic field and also allowed us to determine the range of past inclination variations from −70° to −45° for the southern hemisphere, where data are scarce.