The stable carbon isotope biogeochemistry of acetate and other dissolved carbon species in deep subseafloor sediments at the northern Cascadia Margin

Ocean drilling has revealed the existence of vast microbial populations in the deep subseafloor, but to date little is known about their metabolic activities. To better understand the biogeochemical processes in the deep biosphere, we investigate the stable carbon isotope chemistry of acetate and other carbon-bearing metabolites in sediment pore-waters. Acetate is a key metabolite in the cycling of carbon in anoxic sediments. Its stable carbon isotopic composition provides information on the metabolic processes dominating acetate turnover in situ. This study reports our findings for a methane-rich site at the northern Cascadia Margin (NE Pacific) where Expedition 311 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) sampled the upper 190 m of sediment. At Site U1329, δ¹³C values of acetate span a wide range from −46.0‰ to −11.0‰ vs. VPDB and change systematically with sediment depth. In contrast, δ¹³C values of both the bulk dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (−21.6 ± 1.3‰ vs. VPDB) and the low-molecular-weight compound lactate (−20.9 ± 1.8‰ vs. VPDB) show little variability. These species are interpreted to represent the carbon isotopic composition of fermentation products. Relative to DOC, acetate is up to 23.1‰ depleted and up to 9.1‰ enriched in ¹³C. Broadly, ¹³C-depletions of acetate relative to DOC indicate flux of carbon from acetogenesis into the acetate pool while ¹³C-enrichments of pore-water acetate relative to DOC suggest consumption of acetate by acetoclastic methanogenesis. Isotopic relationships between acetate and lactate or DOC provide new information on the carbon flow and the presence and activity of specific functional microbial communities in distinct biogeochemical horizons of the sediment. In particular, they suggest that acetogenic CO₂-reduction can coexist with methanogenic CO₂-reduction, a notion contrary to the hypothesis that hydrogen levels are controlled by the thermodynamically most favorable electron-accepting process. Further, the isotopic relationship suggests a relative increase in acetate flow to acetoclastic methanogenesis with depth although its contribution to total methanogenesis is probably small. Our study demonstrates how the stable carbon isotope biogeochemistry of acetate can be used to identify pathways of microbial carbon turnover in subsurface environments. Our observations also raise new questions regarding the factors controlling acetate turnover in marine sediments.     

Effective Photoinactivation of Alpha‐Amylase,Catalase and Urease at 222 nm Emitted by an KrCl‐Excimer Lamp

The inactivation of enzymes is of great interest for many industrial applications. The effectiveness of photoinactivation of alpha‐amylase, catalase, and urease with 222 nm radiation was investigated in comparison to that at 254 nm. The enzymes were irradiated with different fluence rates of 222 nm radiation emitted by a KrCl‐excimer lamp and with 254 nm radiation produced by a low‐pressure mercury lamp. The relative activities were calculated before and after irradiation. Degradation caused by UV‐radiation was assessed by SDS‐PAGE analysis. The results clearly demonstrated that inactivation of the proteins is much more effective with the 222 nm excimer lamp compared to the 254 nm mercury lamp. Irradiation with the excimer lamp and a UV‐fluence rate of 1000 J/m² was sufficient to reduce the relative activities of amylase and urease to 15% and that of catalase to 60%. After irradiation with 4000 J/m², the enzyme activity was almost completely inhibited. In contrast, after irradiation with the mercury lamp with an UV‐fluence rate of 4000 J/m², the relative activity was still above 85%. The gel patterns showed no visible degradation after irradiation at 254 nm, but a strong and unspecific degradation was obvious after treatment at 222 nm, presumably caused by cleavage of the peptide bonds.     

Seasonal controls on sediment transport and deposition in Lake Ohau,South Island,New Zealand: Implications for a high‐resolution Holocene palaeoclimate reconstruction

Laminated sediments in Lake Ohau, Mackenzie Basin, New Zealand, offer a potential high‐resolution climate record for the past 17 kyr. Such records are particularly important due to the relative paucity of detailed palaeoclimate data from the Southern Hemisphere mid‐latitudes. This paper presents outcomes of a study of the sedimentation processes of this temperate lake setting. Hydrometeorological, limnological and sedimentological data were collected over a 14 month period between 2011 and 2013. These data indicate that seasonality in the hydrometeorological system in combination with internal lake dynamics drives a distinct seasonal pattern of sediment dispersal and deposition on a basin‐wide scale. Sedimentary layers that accumulate proximal to the lake inflow at the northern end of the lake form in response to discrete inflow events throughout the year and display an event stratigraphy. In contrast, seasonal change in the lake system controls accumulation of light (winter) and dark (summer) laminations at the distal end of the lake, resulting in the preservation of varves. This study documents the key processes influencing sediment deposition throughout Lake Ohau and provides fundamental data for generating a high‐resolution palaeoclimate record from this temperate lake.     

The volumes of He+ and H+ inHII regions: The Orion Nebula

We obtain ratios of volumes of He⁺ to H⁺ zones forHII regions ionized by associations following a Salpeter IMF using Kurucz's (1979) model atmospheres. It is concluded that the temperature of hottest star in the association is the dominant factor determining the He ionization structure. The selective dust absorption seems to play a secondary role as well as density gradients and spatial distribution of ionizing stars. The results are compared with observations, in particular with the Orion Nebula. A density gradient is found in M42. Filling factors in the range ??5–16 for M43 are obtained.     

The interaction of ash flows with ridges

 Using both laboratory experiments and theoretical models, we examine the different flow regimes that may develop when an ash flow encounters a ridge. For very small ridges, all the flow may pass over the ridge. For intermediate-size ridges, the flow may be partially blocked, with a fraction of the flow reflected upstream as a travelling bore. In this case, the remainder of the flow, which does pass over the ridge, is hydraulically controlled at the ridge crest. Finally, if the ridge is sufficiently high, then the flow will be totally blocked. New laboratory experiments show that the sedimentation patterns associated with these flow regimes may be very different. Most importantly, flows that involve partial blocking and the formation of upstream propagating bores display enhanced sedimentation upstream of the ridge, analogous to valley-ponded and caldera-fill deposits. In contrast, under some circumstances, if the flow is able to scale a ridge, the deposit may be relatively unaffected by the presence of the ridge. The minimum ridge height that leads to total blocking of the flow increases with mass eruption rate and has a complex variation with distance from the source. In a one-dimensional channel, the minimum ridge height that causes blocking increases with distance downstream. This is because the flow becomes less dense through sedimentation of particles and entrainment of air and so requires less energy to scale a ridge of a particular height. In axisymmetric flow, the minimum ridge height initially decreases with distance downstream as the flow spreads radially, but subsequently increases as the flow becomes less dense through sedimentation and entrainment. A new quantitative model of dilute ash flows propagating over ridges indicates that flows with mass fluxes in excess of 10⁸–10⁹ kg/s can partially scale barriers as high as 1000 m at distances of tens of kilometres from the source, whereas smaller flows are likely to be totally blocked by such an obstacle. Our results shed new insight on the possible long-range transport mechanism of several large flows including the Ata, Fisher and Aniakchak pyroclastic flows. Received: 20 December 1996 / Accepted: 15 March 1998     

Natural speciation of Mn, Ni, and Zn at the micrometer scale in a clayey paddy soil using X-ray fluorescence, absorption, and diffraction

The natural speciation of Mn (0.19 g/kg), Ni (46 mg/kg), and Zn (42 mg/kg) in the argillic horizon (120 cm depth, pH = 5.6) of an Ultisol from a paddy soil in northern Taiwan was investigated by advanced X-ray synchrotron techniques. Microchemical associations were imaged by synchrotron-based X-ray microfluorescence, host minerals were identified by standard and micrometer-resolved X-ray diffraction, and the local coordination environment of Mn, Ni, and Zn was probed using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy on a powdered sample and a soil thin section, and polarized EXAFS spectroscopy on a highly textured self-supporting clay film from the <2 μm fraction of the soil. Manganese was concentrated in Fe-Mn soft mottles (44.4 g/kg) as turbostratic hexagonal birnessite and lithiophorite having Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ atomic ratios of ∼20% and 50%, respectively. Quantitative analysis of high-order scattering paths of the EXAFS spectrum for natural and synthetic lithiophorite revealed that Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ are ordered in the layer. A structural model is proposed, in which Mn⁴⁺ and Mn³⁺ are ordered similarly to Al and Li in the layer, with Mn³⁺ cations being surrounded by six Mn⁴⁺, and Mn⁴⁺ cations by three Mn³⁺ and three Mn⁴⁺. Similar cation ordering in the manganese and aluminum layers likely provides a more homogeneous local balance of the excess and deficit of charges in each layer and increases the stability of lithiophorite. Ni (r = 0.70 Å) substitutes for Mn (r(Mn⁴⁺) = 0.54 Å, r(Mn³⁺) = 0.65 Å) in the manganese layer in the natural lithiophorite. In contrast, Zn (r = 0.74 Å) fills vacant sites in the gibbsitic layer of natural lithiophorite, in a similar manner as lithium (r = 0.74 Å) in synthetic lithiophorite. The partitioning of Ni and Zn between the two layers is a result of the general preference of Ni, whose size is intermediate between those of Mn³⁺ and Li⁺, for slightly smaller sites. In contrast with nickel, which is detected only where there is lithiophorite, the Zn-lithiophorite association found in Fe-Mn mottles is not representative of the bulk soil. The combined use of X-ray diffraction, and powder and polarized EXAFS spectroscopy revealed that Zn is predominantly bound to hydroxy-Al interlayers sandwiched between 2:1 vermiculite layers in the fine soil matrix. The incorporation of Zn in the gibbsitic layer of both lithiophorite and vermiculite helps increase the stability of these minerals by providing positive charge to balance the negative charge from the 2:1 phyllosilicate layer and the layer of lithiophorite. This binding environment for zinc is probably the main mechanism by which zinc is sequestered in acidic to near-neutral aluminum-rich clayey soils.     

New urban settlements in a perspective of public and private interests. Case study: a Swedish municipality within the hinterland of the Stockholm city

The changes of land use patterns and urban structures could be seen as the dynamic result of the trade off between public and private interests. Thereby the land use change is to some extent unpredictable. The focus in the current study is to measure the importance of spatial location factors regarding new residential and commercial buildings in relation to existing urban amenities and political guidelines. The relative importance of the location factors was studied by multinomial regression analysis. Results from this study reveal that the location profiles of new urban object types attained here indicate strong correspondence with local political land use guidelines and to clustering. The spatial distribution of new urban settlements does not in general correspond to the monocentric urban scheme where firms and residents locate in spatial proximity to urban centres.      

Landslide deposits as stratigraphical markers for a sequence‐based glacial stratigraphy: a case study of a Younger Dryas system in the Eastern Alps

Detailed ¹⁰Be and ¹⁴C dating and supporting pollen analysis of Alpine Lateglacial glacial and landslide deposits in the Hohen Tauern Mountains (Austria) constrain a sequence‐based stratigraphy comprising a major landslide (13.0±1.1 ka) overlain by till and termino‐lateral moraines of an advancing (12.6±1.0 ka) and retreating (11.3±0.8 ka) glacier in turn overlain by a minor landslide (10.8±1.1 ka). These results define glacier activity during the Younger Dryas age Egesen stadial bracketed by landslide activities during the Bølling‐Allerød interstadial and the Preboreal. In contrast to recent studies on Holocene glaciation in the Alps, no traces of any Holocene glacier advance bigger than during the Little Ice Age are documented. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the advantages of using an allostratigraphical approach based on unconformity‐bounded sedimentary units as a tool for glacial stratigraphy in formerly glaciated mountain regions, rather than a stratigraphy based on either isolated morphological features or lithostratigraphical characteristics.     

Lofar

H01 A first glance at LOFAR: Experience with the Initial Test Station H02 The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) – Status and Prospects H03 LOFAR calibration: confrontation with real WSRT data H04 Simulations of magnetic fields in the cosmos H05 RM structure in the polarized synchrotron emission from our Galaxy and the Perseus cluster of Galaxies H06 Mapping the Reionization Era through the 21 cm Emission Line H07 Spiral galaxies seen with LOFAR H08 Software Infrastructure for Distributed Data Processing H09 The Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) – Status and Prospects H10 Coincident cosmic ray measurements with LOPES and KASCADE‐Grande H11 Radio relics in a cosmological cluster merger simulation H12 Detection of radio pulses from cosmic ray air showers with LOPES H13 Geosynchrotron radio emission from extensive air showers H14 Imaging capabilities of future radio telescopes H15 Digital signal processing system of Multi‐Beam Meter Wavelengths Array. H16 The Multi‐Beam Meter Wavelengths Array H17 Monitoring of the Solar Activity by LOFAR H18 Calibration of LOPES30 H19 An Outreach Project for LOFAR and Cosmic Ray Detection H20 Galactic tomography based on observations with LOFAR and Effelsberg H21 150 MHz observations with the Westerbork and GMRT radio telescopes of Abell 2256 and the Bootes field: Ultra‐steep spectrum radio sources as probes of cluster and galaxy evolution H22 Experience of simultaneous observations with two independent multi‐beams of the Large Phased Array H23 GRID Computing at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe suitable for LOFAR