The Aguas Zarcas (CM2) meteorite: New insights into early solar system organic chemistry

To date, the CM2 class of carbonaceous chondrites has provided the most detailed view of organic synthesis in the early solar system. Organic‐rich chondrites actually observed falling to Earth (“Falls”), for example, the Murchison meteorite in 1969, are even more rare. The April 23, 2019 fall of the Aguas Zarcas meteorite is therefore the most significant CM2 fall since Murchison. Samples collected immediately following the fall provide the rare opportunity to analyze its bulk mineralogy and organic inventory relatively free of terrestrial contamination. According to the Meteoritical Bulletin, Aguas Zarcas (“AZ” or “Zarcas”) is dominated by serpentine, similar to other CM2 chondrites. Likewise, our initial analyses of AZ were meant to give a broad view of its soluble organic inventory relative to other carbonaceous chondrites. We observe that while it is rich in hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, dicarboxylic acids, sugar alcohols, and sugar acids, some of these classes may be of lesser abundance than in the more well known carbonaceous chondrites such as Murchison. Compared generally with other CM2 meteorites, the most significant finding is the absence, or relatively low levels, of three otherwise common constituents: ammonia, amino, acids, and amines. Overall, this meteorite adds to the building database of prebiotic compounds available to the ancient Earth.     

The interpretation of the generalised derivative operator

The Generalised Derivative Operator is an image‐processing tool for the enhancement of potential field data. It produces an amplitude‐balanced image of the derivative of a potential field in any direction in three‐dimensional space. This paper shows how, by using the correct inclination angle ?, the Generalised Derivative Operator can be used to produce images where its maxima/minima lie directly over dipping contacts and thin dykes with arbitrary magnetisation vectors. The dip of contacts and dykes can be found by varying ? until a symmetrical result is obtained (in the absence of unknown remanent magnetisation). Furthermore, the width of the peak of the Generalised Derivative Operator can then be used to determine the depth of the contact or dyke.     

Applying the tilt‐depth and contact‐depth methods to the magnetic anomalies of thin dykes

A new method for the calculation of the depth, location, and dip of thin dykes from pole‐reduced magnetic data is introduced. The depth can be obtained by measuring the distance between chosen values of a tilt angle that is based upon the ratio of the magnetic field and its Hilbert transform over the dyke. Alternatively, it can be obtained from the horizontal derivative of the ratio of the Hilbert transform of the field to the field itself, over the dyke. The latter method also allows the dip of the dyke to be estimated from the gradient of the depth estimates.     

Phytoplankton community in the Western Arctic in July–August 2003

The phytoplankton community was studied in Bering Strait and over the shelf, continental slope, and deep-water zones of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in the middle of the vegetative season (July–August 2003). Its structure was analyzed in relation to ice conditions and the seasonal patterns of water warming, stratification, and nutrient concentrations. The overall ranges of variation in phytoplankton abundance and biomass were estimated at 2.0 × 10² to 6.0 × 10⁶ cells/l and 0.1 to 444.1 mg C/m³. The bulk of phytoplankton cells concentrated in the seasonal picnocline, at depths of 10–25 m. The highest values of cell density and biomass were recorded in regions influenced by the inflow of Bering Sea waters or characterized by intense hydrodynamics, such as the Bering Strait, Barrow Canyon, and the outer shelf and slope of the Chukchi Sea. In the middle of the vegetative season, the phytoplankton in the study region of the Western Arctic proved to comprise three successional (seasonal) assemblages, namely, the early spring, late spring, and summer assemblages. Their spatial distribution was dependent mainly on local features of hydrological and nutrient regimes rather than on general latitudinal trends of seasonal succession characteristic of arctic ecosystems.     

Three-dimensional numerical modeling of cohesive sediment transport and wind wave impact in a shallow oxbow lake

It was observed that in some closed inland lakes sediment transport was dominated by wind-induced currents, and the sediment resuspension was primarily driven by wind-induced waves. This paper presents the development and application of a three-dimensional numerical model for simulating cohesive sediment transport in water bodies where wind-induced currents and waves are important. In the model, the bottom shear stresses induced by currents and waves were calculated, and the processes of resuspension (erosion), deposition, settling, etc. were considered. This model was first verified by a simple test case consisting of the movement of a non-conservative tracer in a prismatic channel with uniform flow, and the model output agreed well with the analytical solution. Then it was applied to Deep Hollow Lake, a small oxbow lake in Mississippi. Simulated sediment concentrations were compared with available field observations, with generally good agreement. The transport and resuspension processes of cohesive sediment due to wind-induced current and wave in Deep Hollow Lake were also discussed.     

Modeling cave cross-section evolution including sediment transport and paragenesis

Deposits within caves are often used to interpret past landscape evolution and climate conditions. However, cave passage shapes also preserve information about past conditions. Despite the usefulness of passage shape, no previous models simulate cave cross-section evolution in a realistic manner. Here we develop a model for evolving cave passage cross-sections using a shear stress estimation algorithm and a shear stress erosion rule. Our model qualitatively duplicates observed cave passage shapes so long as erosion rates vary with shear stress, as in the case of transport limited dissolution or mechanical erosion. This result provides further evidence that erosion rates within caves are not typically limited by surface reaction rates, even though current speleogenesis models predict surface-rate limitation under most turbulent flow conditions. By adding sediment transport and alluviation to the model we successfully simulate paragenetic channels. Simulations duplicate the hypothesized dynamics of paragenesis, whereby: 1) the cross-section of a phreatic passage grows until shear stress is sufficiently reduced that alluviation occurs, 2) the floor of the passage becomes armored and erosion continues on the ceiling and walls, 3) negative feedback produces an equilibrium cross-sectional area such that shear stress is sufficient to transport incoming sediment. We derive an approximate scaling relationship that indicates that equilibrium paragenetic channel width scales with the square root of discharge, and weakly with the inverse of sediment supply. Simulations confirm this relationship and show that erosion mechanism, sediment size, and roughness are secondary controls. The inverse scaling of width with sediment supply in paragenetic channels contrasts with surface bedrock channels, which respond to larger sediment supplies by widening. Our model provides a first step in simulating cave cross-section evolution and points to the need for a better understanding of the dominant erosion mechanisms in soluble bedrock channels. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved structural interpretation of legacy 3D seismic data from Karee platinum mine (South Africa) through the application of novel seismic attributes

Seismic detection of faults, dykes, potholes and iron-rich ultramafic pegmatitic bodies is of great importance to the platinum mining industry, as these structures affect safety and efficiency. The application of conventional seismic attributes (such as instantaneous amplitude, phase and frequency) in the hard-rock environment is more challenging than in soft-rock settings because the geology is often complex, reflections disrupted and the seismic energy strongly scattered. We have developed new seismic attributes that sharpen seismic reflections, enabling additional structural information to be extracted from hard-rock seismic data. The symmetry attribute is based on the invariance of an object with respect to transformations such as rotation and reflection; it is independent of the trace reflection amplitude, and hence a better indicator of the lateral continuity of thin and weak reflections. The reflection-continuity detector attribute is based on the Hilbert transform; it enhances the visibility of the peaks and troughs of the seismic traces, and hence the continuity of weak reflections. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these new seismic attributes by applying them to a legacy 3D seismic data set from the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. These seismic attributes show good detection of deep-seated thin (∼1.5 m thick) platinum ore bodies and their associated complex geological structures (faults, dykes, potholes and iron-rich ultramafic pegmatites). They provide a fast, cost-effective and efficient interpretation tool that, when coupled with horizon-based seismic attributes, can reveal structures not seen in conventional interpretations.     

Sources of the transuranic elements plutonium and neptunium in arctic marine sediments

We report here thermal ionization mass spectrometry measurements of ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu, ²⁴¹Pu, ²⁴²Pu, and ²³⁷Np isolated from oceanic, estuarine, and riverine sediments from the Arctic Ocean Basin. ²³⁸Pu/^239+240Pu activity ratios are also reported for alpha spectrometric analyses undertaken on a subset of these samples. Our results indicate that the Pu in sediments on the Alaskan shelf and slope, as well as that in the deep basins (Amerasian and Eurasian) of the Arctic Ocean, has its origin in stratospheric and tropospheric fallout. Sediments from the Ob and Yenisei Rivers show isotopic Pu signatures that are distinctly different from those of northern-hemisphere stratospheric fallout and indicate the presence of weapons-grade Pu originating from nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes generated at Russian facilities within these river catchments. Consequently, sediments of the Eurasian Arctic Ocean, particularly those in the Barents and Kara Seas, probably contain a mixture of Pu from stratospheric fallout, tropospheric fallout, and fuel-reprocessing wastes of riverine origin. In particular, the ²⁴¹Pu/²³⁹Pu ratios observed in these sediments are inconsistent with significant contributions of Pu to the arctic sediments studied from western European reprocessing facilities, principally Sellafield in the UK. Several other potential sources of Pu to arctic sediments can also be excluded as significant based upon the transuranic isotope ratios presented.     

利用北冰洋多光谱数据计算光合有效辐射的研究

光合有效辐射（PAR）是重要的生物光学量,与海洋浮游植物的初级生产过程有密切联系。PAR通常由单波段的PAR传感器直接测量,也可以由多光谱数据计算。在极区用多光谱数据计算PAR不仅面对不同谱宽度的问题,而且还有海冰的影响。本文研究了4种可能导致PAR计算误差的主要因素。多光谱仪器避开了大气对太阳辐射的主要吸收带,用多光谱数据计算会对PAR高估。实测数据分析表明多光谱计算的PAR与高光谱数据的计算结果非常接近,误差在1%以内。用本文建立的拟合函数进行校正,校正后的结果与高光谱数据计算的结果达到同样的精度。计算PAR的衰减率要用到进入海水表面的PAR（PAR0）,本文提出先确定表层衰减系数,再通过最小二乘拟合确定PAR0值,与水下观测数据有很好的衔接。海上同一站位不同时间的观测数据计算的PAR衰减系数相差很小,表明PAR的衰减系数是海水的光学性质,与辐射强度无关。在海冰覆盖的条件下,PAR的观测结果与无冰海水的PAR有明显差别。由于海冰选择性的吸收,穿透海冰进入海洋的PAR组分已经不同,海水对PAR的衰减系数也会相应变化。由此可以推断,不同海冰中成分的差别将导致进入海水中PAR的差别,影响PAR的衰减特性。通过本文的研究,解决了在极区用多光谱计算PAR的各种问题,使多光谱数据成为PAR的重要数据源。     

SEDIMENT RETENTION AND WATER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT IN DISTURBED WATERSHEDS

lPRoBLEMSTATEMENTANDOVERVIEWQualitywateriswithoutdoubtalimitingsubstance,notonlyforhumansbutforalllife.Yet,ashumanpopulation,activity,andpollutioncontinuetoincrease,naturalsourcesofreadilyuseablewateraredecliningatanalarmingfate.Humanscurrentlydiveftorregulatemorethanhalfofgloballyavailablefreshwaterrunofffortheirownpurposes(Posteletal.,l996),includingtheuseoflargedamsordiversionsonriversandthewidespreadcreationofotherartificialcatchments.Additionally,groundwatersourcesarebecomingin…