Use of slow-release fertilizer and biopolymers for stimulating hydrocarbon biodegradation in oil-contaminated beach sediments

Nutrient concentration and hydrocarbon bioavailability are key factors affecting biodegradation rates of oil in contaminated beach sediments. The effect of a slow-release fertilizer, Osmocote, as well as two biopolymers, chitin and chitosan, on the bioremediation of oil-spiked beach sediments was investigated using an open irrigation system over a 56-day period under laboratory conditions. Osmocote was effective in sustaining a high level of nutrients in leached sediments, as well as elevated levels of microbial activity and rates of hydrocarbon biodegradation. Chitin was more biodegradable than chitosan and gradually released nitrogen into the sediment. The addition of chitin or chitosan to the Osmocote amended sediments enhanced biodegradation rates of the alkanes relative to the presence of Osmocote alone, where chitosan was more effective than chitin due to its greater oil sorption capacity. Furthermore, chitosan significantly enhanced the biodegradation rates of all target polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

First record of dinosaur trackway from Tibet,China

Three sauropod trackways comprise eight tracks that resemble Brontopodus tracks have been found at the Morong track site in Changdu Prefecture, Tibet, China. These wide- (or sub-wide)-gauge tracks suggest that there was a large sauropod, possibly a member of Titanosauriformes, in Changdu Prefecture during the Early-Middle Jurassic. The sauropod fauna from Changdu Prefecture, Tibet not only has elements in common with the sauropod fauna from the Sichuan Basin, but may include more diverse faunal components.     

Non-stationarity of the signal and noise characteristics of seasonal precipitation anomalies

In order to improve seasonal-to-interannual precipitation forecasts and their application by decision makers, there is a clear need to understand when, where, and to what extent seasonal precipitation anomalies are driven by potentially predictable surface–atmosphere interactions versus to chaotic interannual atmospheric dynamics. Using a simple Monte Carlo approach, interannual variability and linear trends in the SST-forced signal and potential predictability of boreal winter precipitation anomalies is examined in an ensemble of twentieth century AGCM simulations. Signal and potential predictability are shown to be non-stationary over more than 80% of the globe, while chaotic noise is shown to be stationary over most of the globe. Correlation analysis with respect to magnitudes of the four leading modes of global SST variability suggests that interannual variability and trends in signal and potential predictability over 35% of the globe is associated with ENSO-related SST variability; signal and potential predictability are not significantly associated with SST modes characterized by a global SST trend, North Atlantic SST variability, and North Pacific SST variability, respectively. Results suggest that mechanisms other than SST variability contribute to the non-stationarity of signal and noise characteristics of hydroclimatic variability over mid- and high-latitude regions.     

Measurement of Prandtl Number as a Function of Richardson Number Avoiding Self-Correlation

The empirical dependence of turbulence Prandtl number (Pr) on gradient Richardson number (Ri) is presented, derived so as to avoid the effects of self-correlation from common variables. Linear power relationships between the underlying variables that constitute both Pr and Ri are derived empirically from flux and profile observations. Pr and Ri are then reconstructed from these power laws, to indicate their interdependence whilst avoiding self-correlation. Data are selected according to the stability range prior to regression, and the process is iterated from neutral to higher stability until error analysis indicates the method is no longer valid. A Butterworth function is fitted to the resulting Pr ⁻¹(Ri) regression to give an empirical summary of the analysis. The form suggests that asymptotically Pr ⁻¹ decreases as Ri ^3/2. Scatter in the data increases above Ri ~ 1, however, indicating additional constraints to Pr are not captured by Ri alone in this high stability regime. The Butterworth function is analytic for all Ri > 0, and may be included in suitable boundary-layer parameterisation schemes where the turbulent diffusivity for heat is derived from the turbulent diffusivity for momentum.     

Challenges in constraining the P–T conditions of mafic granulites: An example from the northern Trans‐North China Orogen

Some mafic granulites in the Sanggan area of the northern Trans‐North China Orogen (TNCO) have a relatively simple mineralogy with low energy grain shapes that are compatible with an assumption of equilibrium, but the rock‐forming minerals show variations in composition that create challenges for thermobarometry. The mafic granulites, which occur as apparently disrupted dyke‐like bodies in tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite gneisses, are divided into two types based on petrography and chemical composition. Type 1 mafic granulites are fine‐ to medium‐grained with an equilibrated texture and an assemblage of plagioclase+clinopyroxene+garnet+magnetite+ilmenite and sometimes minor hornblende±orthopyroxene. Type 2 mafic granulites are coarse‐grained and hornblende bearing with a peak assemblage of garnet+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+hornblende and variably developed coronae and symplectites of plagioclase+hornblende+orthopyroxene partially replacing porphyroblastic garnet±clinopyroxene. SIMS U–Pb dating of metamorphic zircon from two type 1 mafic granulites yields metamorphic ages of c. 1.84 and 1.83 Ga, consistent with published ages of the type 2 mafic granulites. Based on phase equilibrium modelling, we use the common overlap of P–T fields defined by the mineral assemblage limits, and the mole proportion and composition isopleths of different minerals in each sample to quantify the metamorphic conditions. For type 1 granulites, overlap of the mineral proportion and composition fields for each of three samples yields similar P–T conditions of 710–880°C at 0.57–0.79 GPa, 820–850°C at 0.59–0.63 GPa and 800–860°C at 0.59–0.68 GPa. For the type 2 granulites, overlaying the peak assemblage fields for three samples yields common P–T conditions of 870–890°C at 1.1–1.2 GPa. For the retrograde assemblage, overlap of the mineral proportion and composition fields for each sample yields similar P–T conditions of 820–840°C at 0.85–0.88 GPa, 860–880°C at 0.83–0.86 GPa and 880–930°C at 0.89–0.95 GPa. The P–T conditions appear distinct between the two types of mafic granulite, with the mineralogically simple type 1 mafic granulites recording the lowest pressures. However, there are significant uncertainties associated with these results. For the granulites, there are uncertainties related to the determination of modes and composition of the equilibration volume, particularly estimation of O and H₂O contents, and in the phase equilibrium modelling there are uncertainties that propagate through the calculation of mole proportions and mineral compositions. The compound uncertainties on pressure and temperature for high‐T granulites are large and the results of our study show that it may be unwise to rely on P–T conditions determined from the simple intersection of calculated mineral composition isopleths alone. Since the samples in this study are from a limited area—a few hundred square metres—we infer that they record a single P–T path involving both decompression and cooling. However, there is no evidence of the high‐P granulite facies event at 1.93–1.90 Ga that is recorded elsewhere in the TNCO, which suggests that the precursor basic dykes were emplaced late during the assembly of the North China Craton.     

Slip rate of trench‐parallel normal faulting along the Mejillones Fault (Atacama Fault System): Relationships with the northern Chile subduction and implications for seismic hazards

The recent tectonics of the arid northern Chile Andean western forearc is characterized by trench‐parallel normal faults within the Atacama Fault System (AFS). Since the 1995‐Mw 8.1 Antofagasta earthquake, the mechanism driving this recent and localized extension is considered to be associated with the seismic cycle within the subduction zone. Analyzing morphotectonic patterns along these faults allows examining the seismic potential associated with the subduction zone. Using field Digital Elevation Models and in situ‐produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be, we determined a 0.2 mm/a long‐term slip rate along the Mejillones Fault, one of the most prominent structures within the AFS. This result suggests that the AFS corresponds to slow slip rate faults despite the rapid subduction context. However, the size of coseismic slips observed along the AFS faults suggests that larger subduction earthquakes (Mw > 8.1) may occur episodically in the area.     

Assessing issues associated with a time‐integrated fluvial fine sediment sampler

Collecting a representative time‐integrated sample of fluvial fine‐grained suspended sediment (<63 μm) is an important requirement for the understanding of environmental, geomorphological, and hydrological processes operating within watersheds. This study (a) characterized the hydrodynamic behaviour of a commonly used time‐integrated fine sediment sampler (TIFSS) using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) in controlled laboratory conditions and (b) measured the mass collection efficiency (MCE) of the sampler by an acoustic Doppler current profiler under field conditions. The laboratory results indicated that the hydrodynamic evaluations associated with the original development of the TIFSS involved an underestimation of the inlet flow velocity of the sampler that results in a significant overestimation of the theoretical MCE. The ADV data illustrated that the ratio of the inlet flow velocity of the sampler to the ambient velocity was 87% and consequently, it can be assumed that a representative sample of the ambient fine suspended particles entered into the sampler. The field results showed that the particle size distribution of the sediment collected by the TIFSS was statistically similar to that for the ambient sediment in the Red River, Manitoba, Canada. The MCE of the TIFSS in the field trials appeared to be as low as 10%. Collecting a representative sample in the field was consistent with the previous findings that the TIFSS is a suitable sampler for the collection of a representative sample of sufficient mass (e.g., >1 g) for the investigation of the properties of fluvial fine‐grained suspended sediment. Hydrodynamic evaluation of the TIFSS under a wider range of hydraulic conditions is suggested to assess the performance of the sampler during high run‐off events.     

Persistent rings in and around Jupiter’s anticyclones – Observations and theory

We present observations and theoretical calculations to derive the vertical structure of and secondary circulation in jovian vortices, a necessary piece of information to ultimately explain the red color in the annular ring inside Jupiter’s Oval BA. The observations were taken with the near-infrared detector NIRC2 coupled to the adaptive optics system on the 10-m W.M. Keck telescope (UT 21 July 2006; UT 11 May 2008) and with the Hubble Space Telescope at visible wavelengths (UT 24 and 25 April 2006 using ACS; UT 9 and 10 May 2008 using WFPC2). The spatial resolution in the near-IR (∼0.1–0.15″ at 1–5 μm) is comparable to that obtained at UV–visible wavelengths (∼0.05–0.1″ at 250–890 nm). At 5 μm we are sensitive to Jupiter’s thermal emission, whereas at shorter wavelengths we view the planet in reflected sunlight. These datasets are complementary, as images at 0.25–1.8 μm provide information on the clouds/hazes in the troposphere–stratosphere, while the 5-μm emission maps yield information on deeper layers in the atmosphere, in regions without clouds. At the latter wavelength numerous tiny ovals can be discerned at latitudes between ∼45°S and 60°S, which show up as rings with diameters ?1000 km surrounding small ovals visible in HST data. Several white ovals at 41°S, as well as a new red oval that was discovered to the west of the GRS, also reveal 5-μm bright rings around their peripheries, which coincide with dark/blue rings at visible wavelengths. Typical brightness temperatures in these 5-μm bright rings are 225–250 K, indicative of regions that are cloud-free down to at least the ∼4 bar level, and perhaps down to 5–7 bar, i.e., well within the water cloud.Radiative transfer modeling of the 1–2 μm observations indicates that all ovals, i.e., including the Great Red Spot (GRS), Red Oval BA, and the white ovals at 41°S, are overall very similar in vertical structure. The main distinction between the ovals is caused by variations in the particle densities in the tropospheric–stratospheric hazes (2–650 mbar). These are 5–8 times higher above the red ovals than above the white ones at 41°S. The combination of the 5-μm rings and the vertical structure derived from near-IR data suggests anticyclones to extend vertically from (at least) the water cloud (∼5 bar) up to the tropopause (∼100–200 mbar), and in some cases into the stratosphere.Based upon our observations, we propose that air is rising along the center of a vortex, and descending around the outer periphery, producing the 5-μm bright rings. Observationally, we constrain the maximum radius of these rings to be less than twice the local Rossby deformation radius, L_R. If the radius of the visible oval (i.e., the clouds that make the oval visible) is >3000 km, our observations suggest that the descending part of the secondary circulation must be within these ovals. For the Red Oval BA, we postulate that the return flow is at the location of its red annulus, which has a radius of ∼3000 km.We develop a theory for the secondary circulation, where air is (baroclinically) rising along the center of a vortex in a subadiabatic atmosphere, and descending at a distance not exceeding ∼2× the local Rossby deformation radius. Using this model, we find a timescale for mixing throughout the vortex of order several months, which suggests that the chromophores that are responsible for the red color of Oval BA’s red annulus must be produced locally, at the location of the annulus. This production most likely results from the adiabatic heating in the descending part of the secondary circulation. Such higher-than-ambient temperature causes NH₃–ice to sublime, which will expose the condensation nuclei, such as the red chromophores.