Effects of seawater acidification on early development of the intertidal sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck 1816)

The effect of pH ranging from 8.0 to 6.8 (total scale - pH_T) on fertilization, cleavage and larval development until pluteus stage was assessed in an intertidal temperate sea urchin. Gametes were obtained from adults collected in two contrasting tide pools, one showing a significant nocturnal pH decrease (lowest pH_T = 7.4) and another where pH was more stable (lowest pH_T = 7.8). The highest pH_T at which significant effects on fertilization and cleavage were recorded was 7.6. On the contrary, larval development was only affected below pH_T 7.4, a value equal or lower than that reported for several subtidal species. This suggests that sea urchins inhabiting stressful intertidal environments produce offspring that may better resist future ocean acidification. Moreover, at pH_T 7.4, the fertilization rate of gametes whose progenitors came from the tide pool with higher pH decrease was significantly higher, indicating a possible acclimatization or adaptation of gametes to pH stress.     

Polychaete/amphipod ratio as an indicator of environmental impact related to offshore oil and gas production along the Norwegian continental shelf

Benthic faunal data is regularly collected worldwide to assess the ecological quality of marine environments. Recently, there has been renewed interest in developing biological indices able to identify environmental status and potential anthropogenic impacts. In this paper we evaluate the performance of a general polychaete/amphipod ratio along the Norwegian continental shelf as an environmental indicator for offshore oil and gas impacts. Two main trends are apparent: first, a contamination gradient is discernible from where production takes place compared to stations 10,000 m away. Second, the quality of the marine environment has improved over time. These results are consistent with monitoring reports employing a combination of uni- and multi-variate statistics. Thus, we consider this ratio as a relatively simple, useful and potentially cost-effective complement to other more demanding assessment techniques. Because of its strong theoretical basis, it may also be useful for detecting ecological change as a result of other activities.     

Marine meiobenthic and nematode community structure in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong upon recovery from sewage pollution

Sediment quality, meiofaunal and nematode communities were monitored across six time points at two inside-harbour and three outside-harbour sites over a three-year period in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, after the implementation of a sewage treatment project. Twenty-one meiofaunal groups comprising mainly free-living nematodes and harpacticoid copepods and 188 species of free-living nematodes were identified. The outside-harbour area had a more diverse and significantly different nematode community structure as compared to that in the inside-harbour area. Such spatial difference was highly correlated with the total Kjeldahl nitrogen content of the sediments. Over the study period, there was no significant improvement in sediment quality within the harbour. However, in the last sampling time, an increase in meiofaunal abundance and a closer similarity in nematode composition between one of the inside- and outside-harbour sites suggested signs of recovery of the meiofauna as a response to abatement of sewage pollution.     

System identification of a building from multiple seismic records

This paper describes the identification of finite dimensional, linear, time‐invariant models of a 4‐story building in the state space representation using multiple data sets of earthquake response. The building, instrumented with 31 accelerometers, is located on the University of California, Irvine campus. Multiple data sets, recorded during the 2005 Yucaipa, 2005 San Clemente, 2008 Chino Hills and 2009 Inglewood earthquakes, are used for identification and validation. Considering the response of the building as the output and the ground motion as the input, the state space models that represent the underlying dynamics of the building in the discrete‐time domain corresponding to each data set are identified. The time‐domain Eigensystem Realization Algorithm with the Observer/Kalman filter identification procedure are adopted in this paper, and the modal parameters of the identified models are consistently determined by constructing stabilization diagrams. The four state space models identified demonstrate that the response of the building is amplitude dependent with the response frequency and damping, being dependent on the magnitude of ground excitation. The practical application of this finding is that the consistency of this building response to future earthquakes can be quickly assessed, within the range of ground excitations considered (0.005g–0.074g), for consistency with prior response—this assessment of consistent response is discussed and demonstrated with reference to the four earthquake events considered in this study. Inclusion of data sets relating to future earthquakes will enable the findings to be extended to a wider range of ground excitation magnitudes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用斜井钻孔破裂观测值约束深井和深矿中的全应力张量——在两个复杂实例中的应用

经过15年时间我们发展出一套技术,即利用钻孔井壁的非致命性破裂,包括压性破裂、钻探诱发的张性破裂以及与切穿井孔断层的滑动有关的应力扰动观测值,来确定任意向井和钻孔中的全应力张量。这些技术已延伸应用到石油工业中,也应用到矿山开采的钻孔岩芯取样中,以取得开采区周围应力集中影响的区域内外的应力状态。条件允许时,可用水压致裂法估计最小主应力值,但不能估计最大水平主应力值。作者在文中先回顾了这套方法的概念,然后对两个复杂实例进行了研究。第1个实例涉及到圣安德烈斯断层深部观测站（San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth,SAFOD）计划第1阶段钻探应力状态的确定,SAFOD计划是一个钻穿加州中部圣安德烈斯断层的科学钻井计划。第2个实例涉及到确定南非一个极深矿周围的地壳应力状态。这些研究表明,在相当大的深度范围内,斜井钻孔破裂观测值与应力大小和方向是一致的。     

1999年土耳其Izmit Mw7.6地震的持续成核过程

实验室和理论研究表明,地震之前会出现一个渐进性的滑动不稳定阶段,在此期间,断层缓慢滑动,而后突然加速并最终导致动态破裂.本文中,我们报道了迄今记录最为完整的大地震之一,即1999年土耳其Izmit Mw7.6地震之前出现了持续时间很久的源自震源的地震信号.这种信号包含一连串的地震破裂,破裂随时间和低频地震噪声的增加而加...     

U–Pb and Th–Pb dating of apatite by LA-ICPMS

Apatite is a common U- and Th-bearing accessory mineral in igneous and metamorphic rocks, and a minor but widespread detrital component in clastic sedimentary rocks. U–Pb and Th–Pb dating of apatite has potential application in sedimentary provenance studies, as it likely represents first cycle detritus compared to the polycyclic behavior of zircon. However, low U, Th and radiogenic Pb concentrations, elevated common Pb and the lack of a U–Th–Pb apatite standard remain significant challenges in dating apatite by LA-ICPMS, and consequently in developing the chronometer as a provenance tool.This study has determined U–Pb and Th–Pb ages for seven well known apatite occurrences (Durango, Emerald Lake, Kovdor, Mineville, Mud Tank, Otter Lake and Slyudyanka) by LA-ICPMS. Analytical procedures involved rastering a 10 μm spot over a 40 × 40 μm square to a depth of 10 μm using a Geolas 193 nm ArF excimer laser coupled to a Thermo ElementXR single-collector ICPMS. These raster conditions minimized laser-induced inter-element fractionation, which was corrected for using the back-calculated intercept of the time-resolved signal. A Tl–U–Bi–Np tracer solution was aspirated with the sample into the plasma to correct for instrument mass bias. External standards (Ple?ovice and 91500 zircon, NIST SRM 610 and 612 silicate glasses and STDP5 phosphate glass) along with Kovdor apatite were analyzed to monitor U–Pb, Th–Pb, U–Th and Pb–Pb ratiosCommon Pb correction employed the ²⁰⁷Pb method, and also a ²⁰⁸Pb correction method for samples with low Th/U. The ²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb corrections employed either the initial Pb isotopic composition or the Stacey and Kramers model and propagated conservative uncertainties in the initial Pb isotopic composition. Common Pb correction using the Stacey and Kramers (1975) model employed an initial Pb isotopic composition calculated from either the estimated U–Pb age of the sample or an iterative approach. The age difference between these two methods is typically less than 2%, suggesting that the iterative approach works well for samples where there are no constraints on the initial Pb composition, such as a detrital sample. No ²⁰⁴Pb correction was undertaken because of low ²⁰⁴Pb counts on single collector instruments and ²⁰⁴Pb interference by ²⁰⁴Hg in the argon gas supply.Age calculations employed between 11 and 33 analyses per sample and used a weighted average of the common Pb-corrected ages, a Tera–Wasserburg Concordia intercept age and a Tera–Wasserburg Concordia intercept age anchored through common Pb. The samples in general yield ages consistent (at the 2σ level) with independent estimates of the U–Pb apatite age, which demonstrates the suitability of the analytical protocol employed. Weighted mean age uncertainties are as low as 1–2% for U- and/or Th-rich Palaeozoic–Neoproterozoic samples; the uncertainty on the youngest sample, the Cenozoic (31.44 Ma) Durango apatite, ranges from 3.7–7.6% according to the common Pb correction method employed. The accurate and relatively precise common Pb-corrected ages demonstrate the U–Pb and Th–Pb apatite chronometers are suitable as sedimentary provenance tools. The Kovdor carbonatite apatite is recommended as a potential U–Pb and Th–Pb apatite standard as it yields precise and reproducible ²⁰⁷Pb-corrected, ²³²Th–²⁰⁸Pb, and common Pb-anchored Tera–Wasserburg Concordia intercept ages.     

著名科学家莱昂·诺波夫(Leon Knopoff)逝世

莱昂·诺波夫(1925~2011),是一位对物理学、地震学和音乐领域做出贡献的国际著名科学家,于2011年1月20日在妻子和3个孩子的陪伴下于家中辞世。莱昂·诺波夫1949年在加州理工学院获得物理学和数学博士学位,翌年开始在洛杉矶加州大学任教。1960年洛杉矶加州     

Phytoplankton abundance and contributions to suspended particulate matter in the Ohio,Upper Mississippi and Missouri Rivers

Main channel habitats of the Ohio, Missouri, and Upper Mississippi Rivers were surveyed during the summers of 2004, 2005 and 2006 using a probability-based sampling design to characterize inter-annual and inter-river variation in suspended chlorophyll a (CHLa) and related variables. Large (fivefold) differences in CHLa were observed with highest concentrations in the Upper Mississippi (32.3 ± 1.8 μg L⁻¹), intermediate values in the Missouri (19.7 ± 1.1 μg L⁻¹) and lowest concentrations in the Ohio (6.8 ± 0.5 μg L⁻¹). Inter-annual variation was small in comparison to inter-river differences suggesting that basin-specific factors exert greater control over river-wide CHLa than regional-scale processes influencing climate and discharge. The rivers were characterized by variable but generally low light conditions as indicated by depth-averaged underwater irradiance <4 E m⁻² day⁻¹ and high ratios of channel depth to euphotic depth (>3). Despite poor light conditions, regression analyses revealed that TP was the best single predictor of CHLa (R ² = 0.40), though models incorporating both light and TP performed better (R ² = 0.60). Light and nutrient conditions varied widely within rivers and were inversely related, suggesting that riverine phytoplankton may experience shifts in resource limitation during transport. Inferred grazing and sedimentation losses were large yet CHLa concentrations did not decline downriver indicating that growth and loss processes were closely coupled. The contribution by algae to suspended particulate organic matter in these rivers (mean = 41%) was similar to that of lakes (39%) but lower relative to reservoirs (61%).     

Reinterpreting the Importance of Oxygen‐Based Biodegradation in Chloroethene‐Contaminated Groundwater

Chlororespiration is common in shallow aquifer systems under conditions nominally identified as anoxic. Consequently, chlororespiration is a key component of remediation at many chloroethene‐contaminated sites. In some instances, limited accumulation of reductive dechlorination daughter products is interpreted as evidence that natural attenuation is not adequate for site remediation. This conclusion is justified when evidence for parent compound (tetrachloroethene, PCE, or trichloroethene, TCE) degradation is lacking. For many chloroethene‐contaminated shallow aquifer systems, however, nonconservative losses of the parent compounds are clear but the mass balance between parent compound attenuation and accumulation of reductive dechlorination daughter products is incomplete. Incomplete mass balance indicates a failure to account for important contaminant attenuation mechanisms and is consistent with contaminant degradation to nondiagnostic mineralization products like CO₂. While anoxic mineralization of chloroethene compounds has been proposed previously, recent results suggest that oxygen‐based mineralization of chloroethenes also can be significant at dissolved oxygen concentrations below the currently accepted field standard for nominally anoxic conditions. Thus, reassessment of the role and potential importance of low concentrations of oxygen in chloroethene biodegradation are needed, because mischaracterization of operant biodegradation processes can lead to expensive and ineffective remedial actions. A modified interpretive framework is provided for assessing the potential for chloroethene biodegradation under different redox conditions and the probable role of oxygen in chloroethene biodegradation.