VSX J074727.6 + 065050: A dwarf nova with a non-radially pulsating white dwarf primary

High speed photometric observations of the dwarf nova VSX J074727.6 + 065050 made in December 2009 during quiescence show an orbital modulation at P _orb =85.6 min. They also show that the star is a member of the relatively rare CV/ZZ group, i.e. the accreting white dwarf primary has non-radial pulsations. The two regions of oscillating power are at 684 s and 238 s. There is some evidence for hidden ∼1 μHz fine structure splitting, which has been seen in three other CV/ZZ stars.     

The effects of sulfur intercalation on the optical properties of artificial ‘hackmanite’, Na8[Al6Si6O24]Cl1.8S0.1; ‘sulfosodalite’, Na8[Al6Si6O24]S; and natural tugtupite, Na8[Be2Al2Si8O24](Cl,S)2?δ

The minerals ??hackmanite?? and tugtupite exhibit tenebrescence (reversible photochromism) and photoluminescence. These features are generally attributed to the presence of sulfide species within their structures. But how these optical properties might be affected by intercalating additional amounts of sulfur into their structures was until now unknown. Artificial ??hackmanite??, Na₈[Al₆Si₆O₂₄]Cl_1.8S_0.1, and ??sulfosodalite??, Na₈[Al₆Si₆O₂₄]S, were heated with sulfur in evacuated quartz-glass ampoules over the temperature range 450?C1,050°C. This work has shown that sulfur intercalation into Na₈[Al₆Si₆O₂₄]Cl_1.8S_0.1 destroys the tenebrescence and induces a permanently pale blue and, at higher temperature, a pale green coloration. The effect on Na₈[Al₆Si₆O₂₄]S induced similar colorations but of a deeper hue. Annealing tugtupite, Na₈[Be₂Al₂Si₈O₂₄](Cl,S)_2??? under a sulfur atmosphere over the range 600?C700°C, destroyed the tenebrescence and resulted in a colorless tugtupite; but did not effect the photoluminescence. This suggests that the chemical species responsible for the tenebrescence in tugtupite is unlikely to be the same as that for the luminescence.     

Probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment for Messina Strait Area (Sicily, Italy)

The general modular Bayesian procedure is applied to provide a probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment (PTHA) for the Messina Strait Area (MSA), Italy. This is the first study in an Italian area where the potential tsunamigenic events caused by both submarine seismic sources (SSSs) and submarine mass failures (SMFs) are examined in a probabilistic assessment. The SSSs are localized on active faults in MSA as indicated by the instrumental data of the catalogue of the Italian seismicity; the SMFs are spatially identified using their propensity to failure in the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas on the basis of mean slope and mean depth, and using marine geology background knowledge. In both cases the associated probability of occurrence is provided. The run-ups were calculated at key sites that are main cities and/or important sites along the Eastern Sicily and the Southern Calabria coasts where tsunami events were recorded in the past. The posterior probability distribution combines the prior probability and the likelihood calculated in the MSA. The prior probability is based on the physical model of the tsunami process, and the likelihood is based on the historical data collected by the historical catalogues, background knowledge, and marine geological information. The posterior SSSs and SMFs tsunami probabilities are comparable and are combined to produce a final probability for a full PTHA in MSA.     

Sediment macrobenthos off eastern Waiheke Island,Hauraki Gulf,New Zealand

Aspects of sea-bed structure and benthic-macroinvertebrate species composition, distribution, richness and diversity in coastal waters off eastern Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf, are reported. In contrast to the sole historical account of sea-bed community structure from this same region, no widely distributed assemblages of species are recognised throughout it; no two sites share the exact same complement of species; and almost all sites are less than 80% similar in their taxonomic composition, most considerably so. Species richness and diversity are reported to vary with substratum type and depth, and spatially; species occurring within muds are the least diverse and species rich, followed by those of muddy gravels, and then gravels; many taxa prove common to the three substratum types; and dominance of taxa is recognised to decrease with an increase in substratum complexity, from muds to gravels, and species richness. With the exception of invasive marine species, apparent changes in the composition of assemblages throughout this region over the eight-decade period that data span are considered artefacts of the way in which such assemblages were historically defined. We recommend historical accounts of sea-bed community distributions throughout Hauraki Gulf be interpreted with caution, especially when attempting to use such schematic depictions to determine whether changes have occurred in assemblage composition.     

Vertical distribution of living mangrove foraminifera from KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

Modern foraminiferal assemblage zones can be used to reconstruct palaeo sea levels when applied to fossil foraminifera down a sediment core. Previous intertidal foraminiferal studies have predominantly focused on assemblages in surface sediments (0–1 cm), with the rationale that surface assemblages reflect the modern-day environment. Foraminifera live infaunally and therefore there is a need to document the infaunal vertical distribution of living foraminifera to fully capture the modern environment. Infaunal foraminiferal populations may compositionally differ from or be similar to those in the uppermost 1 cm of a core sample, but abundance is variable vertically, making it very complex to reconstruct and interpret past sea levels. This can have implications for the choice of assemblages to use as modern analogues for past sea-level reconstructions. This study documents the vertical infaunal distribution of living foraminifera, to allow for more informed interpretations of palaeo-reconstructions in mangrove environments. The down-core vertical distribution and abundance of living foraminifera, along with grain size and organic content, were documented using sediment cores along an elevational transect. Nine taxa were recorded as living at the time of collection, six of which were restricted to the top 4 cm. The majority of these were calcareous and found in the cores situated closer to the intertidal channel. Therefore, we argue that the diversity of living calcareous and agglutinated foraminifera could be restricted by grain size, with coarser grain sizes associated with lower species diversity. The findings suggest that foraminiferal species inhabiting the top 4 cm represent deeper living foraminiferal populations. Therefore, the top 4-cm interval can be used to establish a modern training set upon which reconstructions can be based. The findings from this study will provide guidance on the use of South African mangrove environments for future sea-level reconstructions.     

Storm-driven sediment transport in Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay is a semi-enclosed embayment in the western Gulf of Maine about 50 km wide and 100 km long. Bottom sediment resuspension is controlled predominately by storm-induced surface waves and transport by the tidal- and wind-driven circulation. Because the Bay is open to the northeast, winds from the northeast (‘Northeasters’) generate the largest surface waves and are thus the most effective in resuspending sediments. The three-dimensional oceanographic circulation model Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) is used to explore the resuspension, transport, and deposition of sediment caused by Northeasters. The model transports multiple sediment classes and tracks the evolution of a multilevel sediment bed. The surficial sediment characteristics of the bed are coupled to one of several bottom-boundary layer modules that calculate enhanced bottom roughness due to wave–current interaction. The wave field is calculated from the model Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN). Two idealized simulations were carried out to explore the effects of Northeasters on the transport and fate of sediments. In one simulation, an initially spatially uniform bed of mixed sediments exposed to a series of Northeasters evolved to a pattern similar to the existing surficial sediment distribution. A second set of simulations explored sediment-transport pathways caused by storms with winds from the northeast quadrant by simulating release of sediment at selected locations. Storms with winds from the north cause transport southward along the western shore of Massachusetts Bay, while storms with winds from the east and southeast drive northerly nearshore flow. The simulations show that Northeasters can effectively transport sediments from Boston Harbor and the area offshore of the harbor to the southeast into Cape Cod Bay and offshore into Stellwagen Basin. This transport pattern is consistent with Boston Harbor as the source of silver found in the surficial sediments of Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Basin.     

Geochemical evidence for sundering of the West Mariana arc in miocene ash from the Parece Vela Basin

Glass and mineral fragments from discrete volcanic ash layers were sampled from DSDP/IPOD Site 450 in the Parece Vela Basin, Philippine Sea and analyzed by electron microprobe. The ashes are interpreted as eruptive products of the adjacent West Mariana arc system between 25 and 14 Ma B.P., and have compositions between basaltic andesite and rhyolite, and rarely, boninite. ‘Continuous’ chemical trends appear to reflect mixing of mafic and silicic magmas. ‘Discontinuous’ trends between these end-members are relatively few, and are consistent with ‘liquid lines’ produced by fractional crystallization. Andesitic tephra become progressively richer in MgO and CaO through the middle Miocene, while boninite appears towards the end of the sequence, between 14 and 15 Ma B.P. Coeval rhyolitic glasses become richer in K₂O and Na₂O, with maximum concentrations at about 15 Ma B.P. Chronologic changes in fractionation type and composition of parent magmas are interpreted to reflect the subaerial volcanic evolution of the West Mariana arc. The appearance of boninite is believed to signal early stages of arc sundering, and corresponds temporally with regional uplift of the sea floor above the carbonate compensation depth, precursor to a new pulse of back-arc spreading.     

Holocene fossil Habrotrocha angusticollis (Bdelloidea: Rotifera) in North America

Holocene fossil shells of the rotifer, Habrotrocha angusticollus (Bdelloidea: Rotifera) is reported from two peatlands in northern Ontario, Canada. H. angusticollis is a common component of the microfauna in Sphagnum peatlands and other wet mossy habitats. Our knowledge of the distribution and ecology of H. angusticollis is limited and this paper is the first detailed report of the shells as fossils in North America. Fossil shells of H. angusticollis may prove to be a valuable paleoecological indicator in peat deposits once Quaternary paleoecologists learn to recognize them and neoecologists extend their surveys to peatlands.