Resistance among wild invertebrate populations to recurrent estuarine acidification

Acid sulphate soils (ASS), which occur on floodplains worldwide, pose a significant threat to estuarine ecosystems. In laboratory and field experiments, naïve calcifying organisms that are exposed for even short periods (1–2 mo) to runoff from ASS suffer 80% mortality and slowed growth. Based on these observations we expected that sampling of wild oyster, gastropod and crab populations at sites close to and away from drains discharging ASS runoff would reveal more depauperate populations, of sparser and smaller-sized individuals at the more acidified sites. Sampling within three estuaries of New South Wales, Australia, confirmed that the oyster Saccostrea glomerata and gastropods (primarily Bembicium auratum) were less abundant at ASS-affected than reference sites. Nevertheless, crab abundances did not differ between the acidified and reference sites and impacts to bivalves and gastropods were far smaller than predicted. Although at ASS-affected sites gastropod populations were dominated by smaller individuals than at reference sites, oyster populations were skewed towards larger individuals. Even at ASS-affected sites, oyster and gastropod abundances were within the range encountered in estuaries that are not influenced by ASS runoff. Behaviour, long-term physiological acclimation or genetic selection may be responsible for differences in the responses of wild and naïve macroinvertebrates to acidification. Alternatively, wild populations may exhibit some recovery between the rainfall events that transport ASS runoff into estuaries, despite the persistently lower pH near outflow drains. Irrespective, this study suggests that at the population level, calcifying organisms display a certain degree of natural resistance to recurrent disturbance from ASS runoff.     

The turbulent dispersion of surface drifters by water waves: experimental study

Ocean Dynamics - Dispersion of a passive tracer by water waves is of significant importance for many scientific and technological problems including bio-diversity of marine life, ecological impact...     

Revisiting hydrocarbons source appraisal in sediments exposed to multiple inputs

The aim of this work was to test the efficiency of statistical methods as compared to the traditional diagnostic ratios to improve hydrocarbon source identification in sediments subjected to multiple inputs. Hydrocarbon determination in Guanabara Bay sediments pointed out high degradation and ubiquitous petrogenic pollution through the presence of high unresolved complex mixture. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) ratios suggested pervasive contamination derived from combustion in all sediments and failed discriminating samples despite the specificity of sources in different sampling sites. Principal component analysis (PCA) effectively distinguished the petrogenic imprint superimposed to the ubiquitous combustion contamination, since this technique reduces the influence of PAHs distribution which is common to all samples. PCA associated to multivariate linear regression (MLR) allowed a quantitative assessment of sources confirming predominance of the pervasive contaminant component superimposed to a generalized petrogenic imprint. The pervasive component derives from combustion contributions as well as from differential PAHs degradation.     

Runoff initiation in a preserved semiarid Caatinga small watershed,Northeastern Brazil

This study analyses some hydrological driving forces and their interrelation with surface‐flow initiation in a semiarid Caatinga basin (12 km²), Northeastern Brazil. During the analysis period (2005 – 2014), 118 events with precipitation higher than 10 mm were monitored, providing 45 events with runoff, 25 with negligible runoff and 49 without runoff. To verify the dominant processes, 179 on‐site measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) were conducted. The results showed that annual runoff coefficient lay below 0.5% and discharge at the outlet has only occurred four days per annum on average, providing an insight to the surface‐water scarcity of the Caatinga biome. The most relevant variables to explain runoff initiation were total precipitation and maximum 60‐min rainfall intensity (I₆₀). Runoff always occurred when rainfall surpassed 31 mm, but it never occurred for rainfall below 14 mm or for I₆₀ below 12 mm h^?1. The fact that the duration of the critical intensity is similar to the basin concentration time (65 min) and that the infiltration threshold value approaches the river‐bank saturated hydraulic conductivity support the assumption that Hortonian runoff prevails. However, none of the analysed variables (total or precedent precipitation, soil moisture content, rainfall intensities or rainfall duration) has been able to explain the runoff initiation in all monitored events: the best criteria, e.g. failed to explain 27% of the events. It is possible that surface‐flow initiation in the Caatinga biome is strongly influenced by the root‐system dynamics, which changes macro‐porosity status and, therefore, initial abstraction. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geochemical Assessment of a Subtropical Reservoir: A Case Study in Curitiba,Southern Brazil

Suspended particles and dissolved substances in water provide reactive surfaces, influence metabolic activity and contribute to the net sediment deposition. It therefore plays an important part in the ecology and quality of the water mass. The water quality in reservoirs is crucial and it is naturally maintained by flushing and sedimentation, which continuously remove phosphorus from the water. In some reservoirs, however, these removal processes are countered by recycling of ions which could play a key role to start and/or maintain the eutrophic state. The combination of macro‐, trace‐ and microanalysis techniques can be useful to trace pollution sources through a chemical fingerprint, whether be during an acute environmental disaster or a long‐term release of pollutants. The water quality and total metal content of reservoir sediments were assessed in a reservoir, situated in the capital of the Paraná State, in the South‐Eastern part of Brazil. The goal of this paper was to determine the metal presence in the sediment and metal and ionic speciation in the Green River reservoir water. Water and bed sediment samples, collected from various sites during 2008 and 2009, were investigated using XRF, ICP‐OES, ICP‐MS, XRD and zeta potential measurements. Based on the results, the heavy metal concentration and chemical composition of the suspended matter in the water samples, as well as the sediment's chemical composition will be discussed.     

Assessing the shear-sheltering theory applied to low-level jets in the nocturnal stable boundary layer

This paper investigates the existence of shear sheltering on turbulence data over a quasi-ideal experimental site in Oklahoma, USA. Originally developed for engineering flows, the shear-sheltering theory is predicated upon the idea of low-level jets blocking large eddies aloft, preventing them from propagating to the surface. In this scenario, suppression of low-frequency turbulence energy and reduction of surface fluxes would be expected. Results from the Oklahoma experiment show instead an enhancement of surface turbulence intensity and of the relative contribution of large scales to total (co)variances for low-level jet cases with strong shear, thus suggesting the absence of shear sheltering at the site. The results underline the complexity of surface-atmosphere interactions in nocturnal stable conditions. Atmospheric modeling of exchange using various scenarios of surface characteristics, flow regimes, and low-level jet properties is suggested to further assess the potential applicability of the shear-sheltering theory to atmospheric flows.     

The Transfiguration continental red-bed Cu–Pb–Zn–Ag deposit,Quebec Appalachians,Canada

The Transfiguration Cu–Pb–Zn–Ag deposit, enclosed within reduced grey sandstone, is associated with continental red beds of the Lower Silurian Robitaille Formation in the Quebec Appalachians, Canada. The Robitaille Formation rests unconformably on foliated Cambro-Ordovician rocks. The unconformity is locally cut by barite veins. The basal unit of the Robitaille Formation comprises green wacke and pebble conglomerate, which locally contain calcite nodules. The latter have microstructures characteristic of alpha-type calcretes, such as “floating” fabrics, calcite-filled fractures (crystallaria) and circumgranular cracks. Massive, grey sandstone overlies the basal green wacke and pebble conglomerate unit, which is overlain, in turn, by red, fine-grained sandstone. Mineralisation occurred underneath the red sandstone unit, chiefly in the grey sandstone unit, as disseminated and veinlet sulphides. Chalcopyrite, the most abundant Cu sulphide, replaced early pyrite. Calcrete, disseminated carbonate and vein carbonate have stable isotope ratios varying from −7.5‰ to −1.1‰ δ¹³C and from 14.7‰ to 21.3‰ δ¹⁸O. The negative δ¹³C values indicate the oxidation of organic matter in a continental environment. Sulphur isotope ratios for pyrite, chalcopyrite and galena vary from −19‰ to 25‰ δ³⁴S, as measured on mineral concentrates by a conventional SO₂ technique. Laser-assisted microanalyses (by fluorination) of S isotopes in pyrite show an analogous range in δ³⁴S values, from −21‰ to 25‰. Negative and positive δ³⁴S values are compatible with bacterial sulphate reduction (BSR) in systems open and closed with respect to sulphate. We interpret similarly high δ³⁴S values for sulphide concentrates (25.1‰) and for vein barite (26.2‰) to result from rapid and complete thermochemical reduction of pore-water sulphate. Two early to late diagenetic stages of mineralisation best explain the origin of the Transfiguration deposit. The first stage was characterised by the ponding of groundwater over the Taconian unconformity, recorded by calcrete and early pyrite formation via BSR in grey sandstone. Early pyrite contains up to 2 wt.% Pb, which is consistent with Pb fixation by sulphate-reducing bacteria. The second stage (II) is defined by the replacement of early pyrite by chalcopyrite, as well as by sulphide precipitation via either BSR or thermochemical sulphate reduction (TSR) in grey sandstone. This event resulted from the synsedimentary fault-controlled percolation and mixing of (1) an oxidising, sulphate-bearing cupriferous fluid migrating per descensum from the red-bed sequence and (2) a hydrocarbon-bearing fluid migrating per ascensum from the Cambro-Ordovician basement. Mixing between the two fluids led to sulphate reduction, causing Cu sulphide precipitation. The positive correlation between Cu and Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ bulk rock values suggests that Fe acted as a redox agent during sulphate reduction. Stage II diagenetic fluid migration is tentatively attributed to the Late Silurian Salinic extensional event.     

Evidence for coupled reverse and normal active faulting in W Iberia: The Vidigueira–Moura and Alqueva faults (SE Portugal)

The Vidigueira–Moura fault (VMF) is a 65 km long, E–W trending, N dipping reverse left-lateral late Variscan structure located in SE Portugal (W Iberia), which has been reactivated during the Cenozoic with reverse right-lateral slip. It is intersected by, and interferes with the NE–SW trending Alentejo–Plasencia fault. East of this intersection, for a length of 40 km the VMF borders an intracratonic tectonic basin on its northern side, thrusting Paleozoic schists, meta-volcanics and granites, on the north, over Cenozoic continental sediments preserved in the basin, on the south. West of the faults intersection, evidence of Cenozoic reactivation is scarce. In the eastern sector, Plio-Quaternary VMF reactivation is indicated by geomorphologic, stratigraphic, and structural data, showing reverse movement with a right-lateral strike-slip component, in response to a NW–SE trending compressive stress. An average vertical displacement rate of 0.06 to 0.08 mm/yr since late Pliocene (roughly the last 2.5 Ma) is estimated. The Alqueva fault (AF) is a subparallel, northward dipping, 7.5 km long anastomosing fault zone that affects Palaeozoic basement rocks, and is located 2.5 km north and on the hanging block of the VMF. The AF is also a reverse left-lateral late Variscan structure, which has been reactivated during the Tertiary with reverse right-lateral slip; however, Plio-Quaternary reactivation was normal left-lateral, as shown by abundant kinematical criteria (slickensides) and geomorphic evidence. It shows an average displacement rate of 0.02 mm/yr for the vertical component of movement in the approximately last 2.5 Ma. It is proposed that the normal displacements on the AF result from tangential longitudinal strain on the upthrown block of the VMF above a convex ramp of this main reverse structure. According to this model of faults interaction, the AF is interpreted to work as a bending-moment fault sited above the VMF thrust ramp. Consequently, it is expected that the displacements on the AF increase towards the topographic surface with the increase in the imposed extension, declining downwards until they vanish above or at the VMF ramp. In order to constrain the proposed scheme, numerical modeling was performed, aiming at the reproduction of the present topography across the faults using different geodynamic models and fault geometries and displacements.     

Geochemistry of Some Marine Fe–Mn Nodules and Crusts with Respect to Pt Contents

Bulk chemical analyses for Pt and Pd in marine Fe–Mn nodules and crusts from different provenances are presented, together with a wide range of elements. Platinum contents vary from 70–328 ppb, whereas Pd contents extend from 0.6–4.7 ppb only. Bromine and Pb show strong positive correlations with Pt. Lead is remarkably enriched in Fe–Mn precipitates over seawater, but Br is a conservative‐type element in seawater and shows no enrichment in Fe–Mn precipitates. Hence, the Pt–Br–Pb element association combines two elements, Br and Pb, of extremely contrasting enrichment factors in Fe–Mn precipitates.