Ardières-Morcille in the Beaujolais,France: A research catchment dedicated to study of the transport and impacts of diffuse agricultural pollution in rivers

The 8-km² Morcille catchment, which is a sub-catchment of the 150-km² Ardières catchment in the Beaujolais region of France, is one of the first sites in Europe where research has been conducted on surface water contamination by pesticides. A consolidated hydrological and chemical dataset has been set up with data collected since 2002 on the Morcille River and since 2011 on the Ardières River. Additional data on the ecotoxicological and ecological impacts of pesticides on aquatic microbial communities and macroinvertebrates has also been recorded in both rivers since 2005. The ‘Site Atelier Ardières-Morcille Dataset’ described here combines rainfall and stream water height measurements at gauged stations with concentrations of two trace elements and nine pesticides (mainly herbicides, fungicides and some of their metabolites) in both the Ardières and Morcille rivers. All contaminant concentration data showed spatial and temporal variability in water quality associated with pesticide use and rainfall patterns. This long-term monitoring framework made it possible to estimate the persistence of two herbicides (diuron and norflurazon) after legislation banning them. It took 4 years for diuron and more than 10 years for norflurazon concentrations to fall below 0.1 μg/L. Concurrent biological data showed a gradient of impacts consistent with chemical anthropogenic pressure, and rapid recovery of phototrophic microbial communities after the diuron ban. Finally, monitoring data on pesticide transport in a grassed strip set on a slope of the Morcille catchment confirmed that vegetative filter strips can effectively reduce diuron fluxes in surface runoff (>80% abatement) and infiltration water (>70% abatement). The full dataset offers a valuable resource for the validation of hydrological models and the development of global approaches to better understand the pressure–transport–exposure–impact chain and aquatic community resilience at the small catchment scale.     

Concentrations and Seasonal Trends of Extracellular Microcystins in Freshwaters of the Czech Republic – Results of the National Monitoring Program

The first outcomes of the national monitoring program on cyanobacteria and their toxins in the Czech Republic are reported. The concentrations of extracellular microcystins (MCs, analyzed by ELISA) in 206 water samples collected from 94 localities have been investigated. Observed MC concentrations were relatively high in comparison with the literature data, although weather conditions during the covered season (year 2004) were less favorable for the cyanobacterial water blooms. Detectable MCs (>0.125 μg/L) were found in 145 waters (70% of all samples) with a median concentration of 0.67 μg/L. The total median, including samples with no detectable MCs, was 0.26 μg/L. The seasonal trend showed an increase from July to September at most localities (maximum concentrations of about 8 μg/L and extremes up to 37 μg/L). However, a peak at the beginning of the season or continuously elevated MC concentrations were also observed at some localities. Positive correlations between increasing concentrations of MCs and the dominancy of Microcystis spp. have been observed. The survey provides the first large-scale study of the occurrence and seasonal variability of extracellular microcystins that are of particular interest for drinking water management.     

Conflict of interest in research on anthropogenic noise and marine mammals: Does funding bias conclusions?

The U.S. Navy, whose sonars kill marine mammals, provides approximately 50% of the funds for marine mammal research worldwide. We examined six reviews of research on the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals, as well as the primary papers cited in the reviews. These reviews cite references showing noise has no effect on marine mammals at an increasing frequency as their funding moves from a conservation organization to independent to partial U.S. military sources. Primary papers are 2.3 times more likely to be cited in the reviews as concluding no effect of noise if the research was militarily-funded than if not. Thus, conflict of interest may have led to a misrepresentation of the effects of noise on marine mammals in both the primary and secondary literature, and thus misinform public policy decisions.     

Direct evidence of central European forest refugia during the last glacial period based on mollusc fossils

Although there is evidence from molecular studies for the existence of central European last glacial refugia for temperate species, there is still a great lack of direct fossil records to confirm this theory. Here we bring such evidence in the form of fossil shells from twenty strictly forest land snail species, which were recorded in radiocarbon-dated late glacial or older mollusc assemblages of nine non-interrupted mollusc successions situated in the Western Carpathians, and one in the Bohemian Massif. We proposed that molluscs survived the last glacial period in central Europe in isolated small patches of broadleaf forest, which we unequivocally demonstrate for two sites of last glacial maximum age.     

Tectonic Phase Separation Applied to the Sudetic Marginal Fault Zone(NE part of the Czech Republic)

This study emphasizes the advantage of tectonic phase separation in determination of a tectonic evolution of complicated fault zones. The research focused on the Sudetic Marginal Fault Zone(SMFZ) –a 250 km long active fault zone with documented intraplate seismicity situated on the NE margin of the Bohemian Massif(the Czech Republic). The tectonic history of the SMFZ as well as its kinematic development has been rather complicated and not quite understood. A field structural investigation was carried out in extensive surroundings of the fault zone. The fault-slip data were collected in a number of natural outcrops and quarries with the aim at establishing a robust and field-constrained model for local brittle structural evolution of the studied area. A paleostress analysis was calculated using the collected fault-slip data inversion. The T-Tecto software was utilized for semiautomatic separation of the paleostress phases. Simultaneously three methods of data separation were employed:(1) the Gauss inverse method,(2) the Visualization of Gauss object Function, and(3) the frequency analysis. Within the fault zone multiphase movements were observed on various types of faults as well as wide range of the kinematic indicators orientations. The frequency analysis confirmed the multiphase history of the SMFZ. The calculated tectonic phases were divided according to their relative age as constrained by cross cutting relationships and, where observed, multiple striations on a single fault plane and classified from the oldest to the younger. Data separation and inversion usingT-Tecto software with the Gauss inverse method revealed four different stress phases which are 3 strike-slip stress regimes and one compressional regime. The strike-slip regimes are characterized by σ1 trending NW-SE(43), NNE-SSW(18), ENE-WSW(76) and the compressional one by σ1 trending W-E(26). First, compression occurred parallel to the SMFZ supposedly during the Variscan period. Second, compression at an angle of 60° to general direction of the SMFZ yielded right-lateral movement along the fault zone. This is considered to have occurred during the late-Variscan and post-Variscan period. Third, compression in the W-E direction with almost vertical extension led to reverse movement along the fault zone. This is considered to have occurred during Cenozoic. Fourth, compression almost perpendicular to the SMFZ led to left-lateral transpression along the SMFZ. This is considered to have occurred during Quaternary.