Improved approaches to ecotoxicity testing of petroleum products

Crude oils produced in the North West shelf of Western Australia are highly volatile, a characteristic not shared by most of the Northern Hemisphere crude oils on which internationally accepted toxicity test protocols were developed. Because of this volatility and some other factors, the LC50 and EC50 values obtained from acute toxicity tests will be significantly affected by the changes of toxicant concentration in test solutions during the period of exposure. To address these issues all steps of a standard protocol for crude oil toxicity testing have been revised. A systematic study has been performed on factors which affect petroleum hydrocarbon solubilisation in aqueous systems during test solution preparations. The influence of mixing time, agitation energy and volume/interface ratio on a hydrocarbon concentration in a water-soluble fraction (WSF) was studied for heavy, medium and light crude oils. A study of the sensitivity of marine unicellular algae to WSF of crude oils was conducted with Isochrysis sp., Nannochloropsis-like sp. and Nitzchia closterium. Total concentrations of hydrocarbons dissolved in test solutions were estimated by UV-spectrometry and GC/FID chemical analyses. When the toxicant concentration decreased during the exposure period, the EC50 values derived from initial or final concentrations either underestimate or overestimate toxicity, respectively. Therefore, weighted average concentrations (WAC) calculated for the whole test period were recommended for expressing hydrocarbon concentrations in test solutions of crude oils. Toxicity indices calculated from WAC of total hydrocarbons for different crude oils can be compared regardless of the rates of hydrocarbon loss.     

A Janus-faced biodiversity change and the partiality of ecological knowledge in a world biodiversity hotspot in Ghana: Implications for biodiversity rehabilitation

The Gyamfiase-Adenya-Obom cluster of villages in the forest-savanna region of Ghana is located within one of Conservation International’s 34 “World Biodiversity Hotspots” of the most biodiversity-threatened regions of the world. In collaboration with local farmers in this area since 1993, the People, Land Management and Ecological Change Project in Ghana (PLEC-Ghana) has been working on promoting biodiversity rehabilitation to address problems of biodiversity change. This goal is expected to be achieved through agrobiodiversity or biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices. However, farmers’ employment of these practices has been lackluster, even while they acknowledge biodiversity changes, dominated by Chromolaena odorata and other herbaceous species, that are driving the decline in forests and their biodiversity. In interpreting the difficulties of biodiversity rehabilitation in Gyamfiase-Adenya-Obom, this study outlines the diverging ecological knowledge of non-residents/outsiders and local farmers about biodiversity change, which it describes as Janus-like with two diverging faces. One face of biodiversity change shows the detrimental impacts on biodiversity and its observers—non-residents/outsiders—insist on biodiversity rehabilitation that nurtures forests, and the growth and domination of tree species. The other face of biodiversity change shows its agronomic advantages and its observers—the local farmers—are skeptical of current biodiversity rehabilitation practices. Farmers see agronomic benefits in biodiversity change, in particular the benefit of faster soil regeneration within the predominant bush fallow system of farming. And as a result of this observation, farmers continue with practices that sustain a decline in forests and biodiversity. Based on social and ecological research that explores three biodiversity-friendly practices promoted by PLEC-Ghana (fallow management, mulching, and intensive weeding to protect tree seedlings), this article discusses the partiality of ecological perspectives that emphasize either face of biodiversity change but not both, and the implications for biodiversity rehabilitation.     

Additional Analytical Data for Gabbro, GOG-1

Additional data for gabbro, GOG-1, were determined by instrumental-neutron-activation analysis, atomic-absorption spectrometry, and semi-quantitative spectrographic analysis. F ratios calculated in the analysis of variance for 26 sets of data for elements determined by the three methods were not significant, and hence the elements are distributed homogeneously among the bottles. The agreement between our data and the averages previously published ranges from very good to poor. More analytical data are necessary to establish reliable estimates of the concentrations of elements in GOG-1 and in two other gabbros so that three gabbros may be available to geochemists for use as standards.     

87Rb-86Sr age of rocks from the Apollo 15 landing site and significance of internal isochrons

Internal isochrons for two Apollo 15 rocks give an age of(3.34 ± 0.09)and(3.46 ± 0.04) × 10⁹ years with an identical⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr initial ratio of 0.69928. Considering the possibility for the line obtained in a⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr,⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr diagram to be a mixing line, the significance of these results are discussed.     

Lead-210 and pollen geochronologies on Lake Superior sediments

Rates of sedimentation in two Lake Superior deposits were determined by both ragweed pollen and ²¹⁰Pb geochronologies. The former yields an average rate over the time since the first appearance of enhanced concentrations of the pollen as a consequence of human settlement. Sedimentation rates derived on these two bases can be brought into accord if the first appearance of ragweed pollen in the sediments was around 1830 and if the sedimentation rates have been uniform over the past century.     

La theorie des deux magmas fondamentaux dans le volcanisme intracontinental et l'evolution geochimique des laves du Mont-Dore (France)

Résumé Les auteurs utilisent toutes les données chimiques, volcanologiques, chronologiques et tectonophysiques fournies pour un certain nombre de massif continentaux (Mont-Dore et autres). La synthèse de toutes ces études montre qu'il existe deux magmas continentaux indépendants: le magma basaltique venant du manteau (sima) et le magma rhyolitique fourni par la croûte supérieure (sial). Le mélange de ces deux magmas et l'action secondaire de la' gravité et de la pneumatolyse expliquent logiquement la totalité des phénomènes géochimiques des volcans continentaux.

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The authors used all the chemical, volcanological, chronological and tectonophysical data supplied for a certain number of continental mountain massifs (Mont-Dore and others). The synthesis of these studies shows that there are two independent continental magmas: the basaltic magma coming from the mantle (sima) and the rhyolitic magma supplied by the upper crust (sial). The mixing of these two magmas, with the secondary action of gravity and pneumatolysis logically explains the totality of the geochemical phenomena in continental volcanoes.

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Zusammenfassung Die Autoren benutzten alle chemischen, vulkanologischen, chronologischen und tektonisch-physikalischen Daten, die von einer bestimmten Anzahl von kontinentalen Massiven (Mont-Dore und andere) entnommen wurden.Das Ergebnis dieser Studien zeigt, daß es zwei voneinander unabhängige kontinentale Magmen gibt.Das basaltische Magma, vom Sima stammend, und das rhyolitische Magma aus der oberen Sial-Kruste. Die Vermischung dieser beiden Magmen und die zusätzliche Wirkung der Gravitation und Pneumatolyse erklären auf natürliche Weise die Gesamtheit der geochemischen Phänomene des kontinentalen Vulkanismus.

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Greatlakean Substage: A replacement for Valderan Substage in the Lake Michigan basin

New evidence from recent field and seismic investigations in the Lake Michigan basin and in the type areas of the Valders, Two Creeks and Two Rivers deposits necessitates revision of late-glacial ice-front positions, rock- and time-stratigraphic nomenclature and climatic interpretations and deglaciation patterns for the period ca. 14,000–7,000 radiocarbon years B.P. The previously reported and long accepted pattern of deglaciation for the Lake Michigan basin started with a regular retreat from the Lake Border Morainic System, with a minor oscillation marked by the Port Huron moraine(s) and then an extensive Twocreekan deglaciation followed by a major (320 km) post-Twocreekan advance (Valders). However, we now record a major retreat between the times of the Lake Border and Port Huron moraines, followed by a gradual retreat from the Port Huron limit and interrupted by a minor standstill (deposition of Manitowoc Till), a retreat (Twocreekan) and a readvance (Two Rivers Till). No Woodfordian or younger readvance was as extensive as had been the preceding one. This sequence argues for a normal, climatically controlled, progressive deglaciation rather than one interrupted by a major post-Twocreekan (formerly Valderan) surge. This revision appears finally to harmonize the geologic evidence and the palynological record for the Great Lakes region. Our investigations show that Valders Till from which the Valderan Substage was named is late-Woodfordian in age. We propose the term “Greatlakean” as a replacement for the now misleading time-stratigraphic term “Valderan”. The type section and the definition of the upper and lower boundaries of the Greatlakean Substage remain the same as those originally proposed for the Valderan Substage but the name is changed.