The cycling and oxidation pathways of organic carbon in a shallow estuary along the Texas Gulf Coast

The cycling and oxidation pathways of organic carbon were investigated at a single shallow water estuarine site in Trinity Bay, Texas, the uppermost lobe of Galveston Bay, during November 2000. Radio-isotopes were used to estimate sediment mixing and accumulation rates, and benthic chamber and pore water measurements were used to determine sediment-water exchange fluxes of oxygen, nutrients and metals, and infer carbon oxidation rates. Using ⁷Be and ²³⁴Th_XS, the sediment-mixing coefficient (D_b) was 4.3 ± 1.8 cm² y⁻¹, a value that lies at the lower limit for marine environments, indicating that mixing was not important in these sediments at this time. Sediment accumulation rates (S_a), estimated using ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_XS, were 0.16 ± 0.02 g cm⁻² y⁻¹. The supply rate of organic carbon to the sediment-water interface was 30 ± 3.9 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, of which ∼10% or 2.9 ± 0.44 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹was lost from the system through burial below the 1-cm thick surface mixed layer. Measured fluxes of O₂ were 26 ± 3.8 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ and equated to a carbon oxidation rate of 20 ± 3.3 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, which is an upper limit due to the potential for oxidation of additional reduced species. Using organic carbon gradients in the surface mixed layer, carbon oxidation was estimated at 2.6 ± 1.1 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹. Independent estimates made using pore water concentration gradients of ammonium and C:N stoichiometry, equaled 2.8 ± 0.46 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹. The flux of DOC out of the sediments (DOC_efflux) was 5.6 ± 1.3 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹. In general, while mass balance was achieved indicating the sediments were at steady state during this time, changes in environmental conditions within the bay and the surrounding area, mean this conclusion might not always hold. These results show that the majority of carbon oxidation occurred at the sediment-water interface, via O₂ reduction. This likely results from the high frequency of sediment resuspension events combined with the shallow sediment mixing zone, leaving anaerobic oxidants responsible for only ∼10–15% of the carbon oxidized in these sediments.     

The Impact of the Degree of Aquifer Confinement and Anisotropy on Tidal Pulse Propagation

Oceanic tidal fluctuations which propagate long distances up coastal rivers can be exploited to constrain hydraulic properties of riverbank aquifers. These estimates, however, may be sensitive to degree of aquifer confinement and aquifer anisotropy. We analyzed the hydraulic properties of a tidally influenced aquifer along the Meghna River in Bangladesh using: (1) slug tests combined with drilling logs and surface resistivity to estimate Transmissivity (T); (2) a pumping test to estimate T and Storativity (S) and thus Aquifer Diffusivity (D_PT); and (3) the observed reduction in the amplitude and velocity of a tidal pulse to calculate D using the Jacob‐Ferris analytical solution. Average Hydraulic Conductivity (K) and T estimated with slug tests and borehole lithology were 27.3 m/d and 564 m²/d, respectively. Values of T and S determined from the pumping test ranged from 400 to 500 m²/d and 1 to 5 × 10^?4, respectively with D_PT ranging from 9 to 40 × 10⁵ m²/d. In contrast, D estimated from the Jacob‐Ferris model ranged from 0.5 to 9 × 10⁴ m²/d. We hypothesized this error resulted from deviations of the real aquifer conditions from those assumed by the Jacob‐Ferris model. Using a 2D numerical model tidal pulses were simulated across a range of conditions and D was calculated with the Jacob‐Ferris model. Moderately confined (K_top/K_aquifer < 0.01) or anisotropic aquifers (K_x/K_z > 10) yield D within a factor of 2 of the actual value. The order of magnitude difference in D between pumping test and Jacob‐Ferris model at our site argues for little confinement or anisotropy.     

Connectivity as an emergent property of geomorphic systems

Connectivity describes the efficiency of material transfer between geomorphic system components such as hillslopes and rivers or longitudinal segments within a river network. Representations of geomorphic systems as networks should recognize that the compartments, links, and nodes exhibit connectivity at differing scales. The historical underpinnings of connectivity in geomorphology involve management of geomorphic systems and observations linking surface processes to landform dynamics. Current work in geomorphic connectivity emphasizes hydrological, sediment, or landscape connectivity. Signatures of connectivity can be detected using diverse indicators that vary from contemporary processes to stratigraphic records or a spatial metric such as sediment yield that encompasses geomorphic processes operating over diverse time and space scales. One approach to measuring connectivity is to determine the fundamental temporal and spatial scales for the phenomenon of interest and to make measurements at a sufficiently large multiple of the fundamental scales to capture reliably a representative sample. Another approach seeks to characterize how connectivity varies with scale, by applying the same metric over a wide range of scales or using statistical measures that characterize the frequency distributions of connectivity across scales. Identifying and measuring connectivity is useful in basic and applied geomorphic research and we explore the implications of connectivity for river management. Common themes and ideas that merit further research include; increased understanding of the importance of capturing landscape heterogeneity and connectivity patterns; the potential to use graph and network theory metrics in analyzing connectivity; the need to understand which metrics best represent the physical system and its connectivity pathways, and to apply these metrics to the validation of numerical models; and the need to recognize the importance of low levels of connectivity in some situations. We emphasize the value in evaluating boundaries between components of geomorphic systems as transition zones and examining the fluxes across them to understand landscape functioning. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accretionary mixing of a eucrite impactor and the regolith of the L chondrite parent body

Northwest Africa (NWA) 869 is the largest sample of chondritic regolith breccia, making it an ideal source for research on accretionary processes and primordial chemical mixing. One such process can be seen in detail through the first identification of a eucrite impactor clast in an L chondrite breccia. The ~7 mm diameter clast has oxygen isotope compositions (Δ¹⁷O = ?0.240, ?0.258‰) and pigeonite and augite compositions typical for eucrites, but with high areal abundance of silica (9.5%) and ilmenite (1.5%). The rim around the clast is a mixture of breccia and igneous phases, the latter due to either impactor‐triggered melting or later metamorphism. The rim has an oxygen isotope composition falling on a mixing line between known eucrite and L chondrite compositions (Δ¹⁷O = 0.326‰) and, coincidentally, on the Mars fractionation line. Pyroxene grains from the melt component in the rim have compositions that fall on a mixing line between the average eucrite pyroxene composition and equilibrated L chondrite composition. The margins of chondritic olivine crystal clasts in the rim are enriched in Fe as a result of diffusion from the Fe‐rich melt and suggest cooling on the scale of hours. The textures and chemical mixing observed provide evidence for an unconsolidated L chondrite target material, differing from the current state of NWA 869 material. The heterogeneity of oxygen isotope and chemical signatures at this small length scale serve as a cautionary note when extrapolating from small volumes of materials to deduce planetesimal source characteristics.     

Arsenic in sediments, groundwater, and streamwater of a glauconitic Coastal Plain terrain, New Jersey, USA—Chemical “fingerprints” for geogenic and anthropogenic sources

Glauconite-bearing deposits are found worldwide, but As levels have been determined for relatively few. The As content of glauconites in sediments of the Inner Coastal Plain of New Jersey can exceed 100 mg/kg, and total As concentrations (up to 5.95 μg/L) found historically and recently in streamwaters exceed the State standard. In a major watershed of the Inner Coastal Plain, chemical “fingerprints” were developed for streambed sediments and groundwater to identify contributions of As to the watershed from geologic and anthropogenic sources. The fingerprint for streambed sediments, which included Be, Cr, Fe and V, indicated that As was predominantly of geologic origin. High concentrations of dissolved organic C, nutrients (and Cl⁻) in shallow groundwater indicated anthropogenic inputs that provided an environment where microbial activity released As from minerals to groundwater discharging to the stream. Particulates in streamwater during high flow constituted most of the As load; the chemical patterns for these particulates resembled the geologic fingerprint of the streambed sediments. The As/Cr ratio of these suspended particles likely indicates they derived not only from runoff, but from groundwater inputs, because As contributed by groundwater is sequestered on streambed sediments. Agricultural inputs of As were not clearly identified, although chemical characteristics of some sediments indicated vehicle-related inputs of metals. Sediment sampling during dry and wet years showed that, under differing hydrologic conditions, local anthropogenic fingerprints could be obscured but the geologic fingerprint, indicating glauconitic sediments as an As source, was robust.     

Contribution of aluminum from abandoned surface mine pits in Raccoon Creek, Ohio

Middleton Run, a severely acid mine drainage (AMD) impacted tributary of Little Raccoon Creek, drains a sub-watershed area of 3.67 km² (2.28 square miles). Averaging 58.7 kg/day (129.4 lbs/day) at its mouth, demonstrated aluminum loads from Middleton Run are particularly severe. A preliminary study of two previously unmonitored tributaries was conducted to justify future treatment projects. Monthly chemical water quality data were collected for 6 months. Soil leachate samples collected on five strip mining sites within the sub-watershed were analyzed for acidity, alkalinity, pH, aluminum and iron. Soil leachate tests have shown that one of the pits has a much larger pollution production potential and should be targeted for remediation.     

Shrinking ‘Smart’?: Urban Redevelopment and Shrinkage in Youngstown,Ohio

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of the much-heralded Youngstown 2010 Plan and the enacting of a program of “controlled” or “managed” shrinkage. It is argued that while the program of redevelopment has had an impact on Youngstown and its national image, it represents an exclusionary project that has centered on redeveloping downtown areas and neglected many city neighborhoods which continue to experience high levels of unemployment, vacancy, and crime. The analysis is situated in relation to the contemporary literature on “shrinking cities.” Youngstown's experience raises critical questions regarding the nature of the challenges facing shrinking cities, the constraints on actions available to them due to state and federal funding, and the coherence of the concept of “smart shrinkage.”     

Glacial and Fluvial Deposits in the Aragón Valley,Central‐Western Pyrenees: Chronology of the Pyrenean Late Pleistocene Glaciers

The Aragón Valley glacier (Central Western Pyrenees) has been studied since the late nineteenth century and has become one of the best areas in the Pyrenees to study the occurrence of Pleistocene glaciations and the relationships between moraines and fluvial terraces. New morphological studies and absolute ages for moraines and fluvial terraces in the Aragón Valley allow a correlation with other Pyrenean glaciers and provide solid chronologies about the asynchroneity between global last glacial maximum (LGM) and the maximum ice extent (MIE). Six frontal arcs and three lateral morainic ridges were identified in the Villanúa basin terminal glacial complex. The main moraines (M1 and M2) correspond to two glacial stages (oxygen isotopic stages MIS 6 and MIS 4), dated at 171 ± 22 ka and 68 ± 7 ka, respectively. From a topographical point of view, moraine M1 appears to be linked to the 60 m fluvioglacial terrace, dated in a tributary of the Aragón River at 263 ± 21 ka. The difference in age between M1 moraine and the 60 m fluvioglacial terrace suggests that the latter belongs to an earlier glacial stage (MIS 8). Moraine M2 was clearly linked to the fluvioglacial 20 m terrace. Other minor internal moraines were related to the 7–8 m terrace. The dates obtained for the last glacial cycle (20–18 ka) are similar to other chronologies for Mediterranean mountains, and confirm the occurrence of an early MIE in the Central Pyrenees that does not coincide with the global LGM.     

Varying Constants in Brane World Scenarios

Higher-dimensional theories imply that some constants, such as the gravitational constant and the strength of the gauge-couplings, are not fundamental constants. Instead they are related to the sizes of the extra-dimensional space, which are moduli fields in the four-dimensional effective theory. We study the cosmological evolution of the moduli fields appearing in brane world scenarios and discuss the implications for varying constants. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.