Discovery of cryptotephra at Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini,Italy: a new link for broader geographic correlations

Chemical characterization of cryptotephra is critical for temporally linking archaeological sites. Here, we describe cryptotephra investigations of two Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites from north-west Italy, Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini. Cryptotephra are present as small (<100 µm) rhyolitic glass shards at both sites, with geochemical signatures rare for volcanoes in the Mediterranean region. Two chemically distinct shard populations are present at Arma Veirana (P1 and P2). P1 is a high silica rhyolite (>75 wt.%) with low FeO (<1 wt.%) and a K₂O/Na₂O > 1 and P2 is also a high silica rhyolite (>75 wt.%) but with higher FeO (2.33–2.65 wt.%). Shards at Riparo Bombrini (P3) are of the same composition as P1 shards at Arma Veirana, providing a distinct link between deposits at both sites. Geochemical characteristics suggest three possible sources for P1 and P3: eruptions from Lipari Island (56–37.7 ka) in Italy, the Acigöl volcanic field (200–20 ka) in Turkey and the Miocene Kirka-Phrigian caldera (18 Ma) in Turkey. Eruptions from Lipari Island are the most likely source for P1,3 cryptotephra. This study highlights how cryptotephra can benefit archaeology, by providing a direct link between Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini as well as other deposits throughout the Mediterranean.     

Levels and spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in superficial sediment from 15 Italian marine protected areas (MPA)

Surface sediment from 15 Italian marine protected areas (MPA) were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The organic carbon percentage was also determined. Total PAH concentrations (ng g⁻¹ d.w.) ranged from 0.71 (Penisola del Sinis) to 1550 (Miramare). Individual PAH analysis showed that three and four rings PAHs were the most frequently detected isomers and accounted for 60-70% of the PAH total concentrations. PAH ratio analysis showed a prevalence of pyrolytic PAH origin at most of the MPAs with exception of Porto Cesareo and Ustica where a petrogenic origin was detected. Results for organic carbon percentages ranged from 0.3% (Capo Rizzuto) to 2% (Punta Campanella). These results are comparable to other Mediterranean marine environments. However, our results shows that some MPAs, such as Miramare, Porto Cesareo, Isola Capo Rizzuto and Punta Campanella, are subject to strong pressure from urban and industrial activities where high PAH levels were detected.     

Levels and spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from Lenga Estuary, central Chile

The Lenga Estuary is a small brackish wetland located southwest of San Vicente Bay, Region VIII, Chile. Surface sediment from nine sites in the estuary were analysed for PAHs and compared to Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQG). Sediment samples were freeze dried and soxhlet extracted for 16 h using DCM. Identification and quantification was carried out by HPLC. Organic carbon was also determined. Results showed total PAH concentrations ranged from 290 to 6118 (2025 ± 1975) ng g⁻¹ d.w. (2025 ± 1975). Results for organic carbon percentages ranged from 1% to 7%. Statistical analysis showed a significant positive correlation (Pearson test) between organic carbon percentage PAHs. Comparison of contaminant levels and international Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQG) (ERL and ER) suggested that sediment of the Lenga estuary did not show any ecotoxicologial risk for benthic organisms where high levels of PAHs were detected. Monitoring of this and other contaminants is recommended in Chile.     

Effects of sewage pollution and bacterial load on growth and oxidative balance in the freshwater mussel Diplodon chilensis

The effect of chronic exposure to Escherichia coli on morphometrical parameters, different antioxidant defenses, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation has been studied in digestive gland of the freshwater mussel Diplodon chilensis in the laboratory during 6 weeks. In, a parallel field study, we evaluated morphometrical and oxidative stress parameters in digestive glands of mussels collected from a sewage polluted area (SMA) and from a pristine area (control). Both sites were characterized by analyzing bacteriological and physic-chemical parameters. In the laboratory D. chilensis was able to filter bacteria at high concentrations with a clearing rate of 0.510 ± 0.036 L/h per gram of dry soft tissue mass. The digestive gland mass to shell length ratio (DGM/SL), reduced glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation, as concentration of thiobartituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity of mussels fed with bacteria were significantly higher than those of control mussels after the fourth week. Fecal bacteria in lake water samples were undetectable in the control, and higher than 24,000 MPN (most probable number)/100 mL in SMA. DGM/SL was higher in SMA. No differences between sites were observed in total lipid and protein content, neither in superoxide dismutase activity. GSH content was higher in SMA, with no difference in the oxidized form. GST activity and MDA were significantly higher in SMA but protein oxidation was not affected.     

Expansion rate and geometry of floating vegetation mats on the margins of thermokarst lakes,northern Seward Peninsula,Alaska, USA

Investigations on the northern Seward Peninsula in Alaska identified zones of recent (<50 years) permafrost collapse that led to the formation of floating vegetation mats along thermokarst lake margins. The occurrence of floating vegetation mat features indicates rapid degradation of near‐surface permafrost and lake expansion. This paper reports on the recent expansion of these collapse features and their geometry is determined using geophysical and remote sensing measurements. The vegetation mats were observed to have an average thickness of 0.57 m and petrophysical modeling indicated that gas content of 1.5–5% enabled floatation above the lake surface. Furthermore, geophysical investigation provides evidence that the mats form by thaw and subsidence of the underlying permafrost rather than terrestrialization. The temperature of the water below a vegetation mat was observed to remain above freezing late in the winter. Analysis of satellite and aerial imagery indicates that these features have expanded at maximum rates of 1–2 m yr^‐1 over a 56 year period. Including the spatial coverage of floating ‘thermokarst mats’ increases estimates of lake area by as much as 4% in some lakes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable (C,O) and radiogenic (Sr,Nd) isotopes of carbonates as indicators of magmatic and post-magmatic processes of phoscorite-series rocks and carbonatites from Catalão I,central Brazil

The Late-Cretaceous Catalão I contains stockworks of thin dykes of phoscorite-series rocks, which can be subdivided into P1 (olivine-bearing, phoscorites) and P2/P3 (olivine-lacking, nelsonites). Dolomite carbonatites (DC) are intimately associated with nelsonites, as pockets and dykes. The P2 apatite nelsonite, the P3 magnetite nelsonite, and, to a lesser extent DC, host the Catalão I niobium mineralization. C–O isotopes signatures in carbonates reveal several distinct magmatic and post-magmatic processes. Limpid carbonates with stable isotopic mantle-like composition show Rayleigh fractionation and are interpreted as primary, while those with brittle-turbid aspect, and higher oxygen isotope composition, probably underwent recrystallization by interaction with H₂O-rich fluids. A group of samples shows higher oxygen compositions and lower carbon values, which could be explained by degassing of carbonatite magma during cooling. A degassing pattern, parallel to magmatic degassing but at higher oxygen and lower carbon compositions, observed in carbonate veins, may indicate degassing of fracture filling fluids. Furthermore, C–O isotopes of carbonate from monazite-bearing carbonatite have a positive correlation, indicating a distinct, late-stage carbo-hydrothermal event. Though the Catalão I nelsonites and phoscorites are of igneous origin, they underwent several post-magmatic events, which sometimes overprinted partially or entirely the magmatic isotope signature.     

Pollen‐based biome reconstructions for Colombia at 3000, 6000, 9000, 12 000, 15 000 and 18 000 14C yr ago: Late Quaternary tropical vegetation dynamics

Colombian biomes are reconstructed at 45 sites from the modern period extending to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The basis for our reconstruction is pollen data assigned to plant functional types and biomes at six 3000‐yr intervals. A reconstruction of modern biomes is used to check the treatment of the modern pollen data set against a map of potential vegetation. This allows the biomes reconstructed at past periods to be assessed relative to the modern situation. This process also provides a check on the a priori assignment of pollen taxa to plant functional types and biomes. For the majority of the sites, the pollen data accurately reflect the potential vegetation, even though much of the original vegetation has been transformed by agricultural practices. At 18 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, a generally cool and dry environment is reflected in biome, assignments of cold mixed forests, cool evergreen forests and cool grassland–shrub; the latter extending to lower altitudes than presently recorded. This signal is strongly recorded at 15 000 and 12 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, the vegetation at these times also reflecting a relatively cool and dry environment. At 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP there is a shift to biomes thought to result from slightly cooler environmental conditions. This trend is reversed by 6000 ¹⁴C yr BP; most sites, within a range of different environmental settings, recording a shift to more xeric biome types. There is an expansion of steppe and cool mixed‐forest biomes, replacing tropical dry forest and cool grassland–shrub biomes, respectively. These changes in biome assignments from the modern situation can be interpreted as a biotic response to mid‐Holocene climatic aridity. At 3000 ¹⁴C yr BP the shift is mainly to biomes characteristic of slightly more mesic environmental conditions. There are a number of sites that do not change biome assignment relative to the modern reconstruction, although the affinities that these sites have to a specific biome do change. These ‘anomalies’ are interpreted on a site‐by‐site basis. Spatially constant, but differential response of the vegetation to climatic shifts are related to changes in moisture sources and the importance of edaphic controls on the vegetation. The Late Quaternary reconstruction of large‐scale vegetation dynamics in Colombia allows an understanding of the environmental controls on these to be developed. In particular, shifts in the character of the main climatic systems that influence Colombian vegetation are described. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new look at the relationship between activity, dynamo number and Rossby number in late-type stars

The correlation between stellar activity, as measured by the indicator Δ R _HK, and the Rossby number Ro in late-type stars is revisited in light of recent developments in solar dynamo theory. Different stellar interior models, based on both mixing-length theory and the full spectrum of turbulence, are used in order to see to what extent the correlation of activity with Rossby number is model dependent, or otherwise can be considered universal. Although we find some modest model dependence, we find that the correlation of activity with Rossby number is significantly better than with rotation period alone for all the models we consider. Dynamo theory suggests that activity should scale with the dynamo number. A current model of the solar dynamo, the so-called interface dynamo, proposes that the amplification of the toroidal magnetic field by differential rotation (the ω -effect) and the production of the poloidal magnetic field from toroidal by helical turbulence (the α -effect) take place in different, adjacent layers near the base of the convection zone. A new scale analysis based on the interface dynamo shows that the appropriate dynamo number does not depend on the Rossby number alone, but also depends on an additional dimensionless factor related to the differential rotation. This leads to a new interpretation of the correlation between activity and Rossby number, which in turn leads to some conclusions about the magnitude of differential rotation in the dynamo layers of late-type main-sequence stars.     

A Collimated Stellar Wind Emanating from a Massive Protostar

We report multi-wavelength observations towards IRAS 16547–4247, a luminous infrared source with a bolometric luminosity of 6.2 × 10⁴ L _⊙. Dust continuum observations at 1.2-mm indicate that this object is associated with a dust cloud with a size of about 0.4 pc in diameter and a mass of about 1.3 × 10³ M _⊙. Radio continuum observations show the presence of a triple radio source consisting of a compact central object and two outer lobes, separated by about 0.3 pc, symmetrically located from the central source. Molecular hydrogen line observations show a chain of knots that trace a collimated flow extending over 1.5 pc. We suggest that IRAS 16547–4247 corresponds to a dense massive core which hosts near its central region a high-mass star in an early stage of evolution. This massive YSO is undergoing the ejection of a collimated stellar wind which drives the H₂ flow. The radio emission from the lobes arises in shocks resulting from the interaction of the collimated wind with the surrounding medium. We conclude that the thermal jets found in the formation of low-mass stars are also produced in high-mass stars.