Quantification of Aquatic Nano Particles after Different Steps of Bodensee Water Purification with Laser‐induced Breakdown Detection (LIBD)

The laser‐induced breakdown detection (LIBD) is a very sensitive method for the direct detection of colloids based on the plasma generation on single particles by a focused, pulsed laser beam and the detection of the produced shock wave or plasma light emission. For the determination of colloid sizes the light emission of single plasmas is detected by a microscope CCD‐camera system. With known mean particle diameter and breakdown probability the particle concentration can be calculated. The application of the LIBD to monitor the change of colloid concentration and size during the purification steps of drinking water at the Bodensee (Lake Constance, Germany) water purification plant is shown. The breakdown probability, correlating to colloid number density, decreases with every purification step. By addition of FeCl₃ as a precipitating agent and with an additional filtration step, not only suspended matter, but also colloids are effectively removed. After this process a remaining particle concentration of 50 ng/L and a mean particle diameter of 27 nm are found.     

Zur Röntgen-Fluoreszenz-Spektralanalyse von Rubidium,Strontium, Barium und Blei in Kaolinen und Tonen

An x-ray fluorescence spectrographic method is described for the determination of rubidium, strontium, barium and lead in kaolins and clays. The method is most usefull within a concentration range of 50–2000 p.p.m. Rb, Sr, Ba or Pb in the sample.Dried powder samples of kaolins resp. clays are compressed in a suitably shaped die and its x-ray radiations are compared with those of the same kaolins or clays to which small amounts of Rb, Sr, Ba or Pb had been added. A homogenous distribution of small amounts of these elements in kaolins and clays is obtained by precipitation of Pb, Ba and Sr as sulfate and Rb as Rb[B(C₅H₆)₄] in a concentrated clay resp. kaolin suspension. The prepared suspensions are filtered (by membran-filters) and dried before compressing and x-ray measuring.The instrumental conditions were: Siemens x-ray spectrograph Kristalloflex IV fitted with a lithium fluoride analysing crystall, molybdenum-target x-ray tube (type AG Mo 61), 50 kV 30 m.amp. for measuring of the Sr K-, Rb K-, Pb L/gB-lines and 60 kV 36 m.amp. for measuring of the Ba K-line.The standard deviations were: ± 3 p.p.m. Rb for samples containing 25– 150 p.p.m. of Rb ± 6 p.p.m. Sr for samples containing 200– 400 p.p.m. of Sr ± 60 p.p.m. Ba for samples containing 1000–2000 p.p.m. of Ba ± 9 p.p.m. Pb for samples containing 250– 800 p.p.m. of Pb

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Der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft dankt der Verfasser für die gewährte Unterstützung zur Durchführung der vorgelegten Arbeit.     

Thermobarometric data from a fossil zircon partial annealing zone in high pressure–low temperature rocks of eastern and central Crete, Greece

A fossil partial annealing zone of fission tracks in zircon is described from high pressure–low temperature (HP–LT) rocks of the Phyllite–Quartzite Unit (PQ) on the island of Crete, Greece. Correlation of regional trends in fission track age populations with independent thermobarometric and microstructural data, and with new experimental annealing results, allows a calibration of this low temperature thermochronological method to a degree hitherto not available from other field examples.The zircon fission track (FT) ages of samples from the PQ across Crete range from original detrital signature through reduced to completely reset. The annealing is the result of a single heating period related to the HP–LT metamorphism with near-peak temperatures lasting for only a few million years some time between 24±1 and 20±1 Ma. In eastern Crete, where rocks have experienced temperatures of 300±50 °C and pressures of 0.8±0.3 GPa, zircon FT ages range from 414±24 to 145±10 Ma. Ages above 300 Ma occur mostly near the east coast of the island in rocks which have not been heated to above ca. 280 °C and probably represent a pre-Variscan source. Track lengths are already indicative of a substantial annealing at this temperature. Most of the zircon FT ages from eastern Crete scatter within error around the stratigraphic age. Samples with apparent zircon FT ages significantly younger than the depositional age are only observed in areas where temperatures exceeded ca. 320 °C. Towards the west, a sudden decrease to very young ages ranging from 17±2 to 18±1 Ma reflects a complete resetting at ca. 350 °C. Short tracks, however, are still observed. Throughout the central and western part of the island, ages are consistently below 22 Ma. Thermobarometric data for this area indicate maximum temperatures of 400±50 °C and pressures of 1±0.3 GPa. Only samples from western Crete, which have been exposed to 400±50 °C, show exclusively long tracks. Consequently, the high temperature limit of the zircon partial annealing zone (ZPAZ) appears to be between 350 and 400 °C.A significant influence of elevated confining pressure on the stability of fission tracks in zircon is ruled out by the results of annealing experiments at 0.5 GPa and at different temperatures, which fit the curves previously obtained by other authors at ambient pressure.     

Diatom-based inference models and reconstructions revisited: methods and transformations

Different calibration methods and data manipulations are being employed for quantitative paleoenvironmental reconstructions, but are rarely compared using the same data. Here, we compare several diatom-based models [weighted averaging (WA), weighted averaging with tolerance-downweighting (WAT), weighted averaging partial least squares, artificial neural networks (ANN) and Gaussian logit regression (GLR)] in different situations of data manipulation. We tested whether log-transformation of environmental gradients and square-root transformation of species data improved the predictive abilities and the reconstruction capabilities of the different calibration methods and discussed them in regard to species response models along environmental gradients. Using a calibration data set from New England, we showed that all methods adequately modelled the variables pH, alkalinity and total phosphorus (TP), as indicated by similar root mean square errors of prediction. However, WAT had lower performance statistics than simple WA and showed some unusual values in reconstruction, but setting a minimum tolerance for the modern species, such as available in the new computer program C² version 1.4, resolved these problems. Validation with the instrumental record from Walden Pond (Massachusetts, USA) showed that WA and WAT reconstructed most closely pH and that GLR reconstructions showed the best agreement with measured alkalinity, whereas ANN and GLR models were superior in reconstructing the secondary gradient variable TP. Log-transformation of environmental gradients improved model performance for alkalinity, but not much for TP. While square-root transformation of species data improved the performance of the ANN models, they did not affect the WA models. Untransformed species data resulted in better accordance of the TP inferences with the instrumental record using WA, indicating that, in some cases, ecological information encoded in the modern and fossil species data might be lost by square-root transformation. Thus it may be useful to consider different species data transformations for different environmental reconstructions. This study showed that the tested methods are equally suitable for the reconstruction of parameters that mainly control the diatom assemblages, but that ANN and GLR may be superior in modelling a secondary gradient variable. For example, ANN and GLR may be advantageous for modelling lake nutrient levels in North America, where TP gradients are relatively short.     

Gravity wave signatures at mesopause heights

The ALOMAR SOUSY Radar operated at 53.5 MHz has been used in a five-beam configuration to study dynamical processes at gravity wave periods in the summer polar mesosphere. A case study of a gravity wave with a period of about 9 min is presented and analysed in some detail. The three-dimensional wave number vector is determined from the phase information of the 9-min velocity oscillations obtained in all beam directions and all range gates. The horizontal wavelengths in the north and east direction are estimated to be about 60 and 50 km, respectively. The echo power variations, simultaneously observed at different beam pointing positions, are investigated using cross-correlation analysis. The results show that these wave-associated variations lead to horizontal and vertical deformation of the echoing layers. The horizontal wavelength in the north-south direction, derived from the echo power modification, is in good agreement with the one obtained from the velocity analysis.     

Spatial variability of the aspect sensitivity of VHF radar echoes in the troposphere and lower stratosphere during jet stream passages

The aspect sensitivity of SOUSY-VHF-radar oblique-beam echoes from the troposphere and lower stratosphere has been examined for a number of jet stream passages during the years 1990 - 1992. When the core of the jet is overhead or nearly so, vertical profiles of the aspect sensitivity display two notable features. First, the distinction between mainly isotropic and strongly aspect-sensitive echoes in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere, respectively, often reported for measurements made during calm conditions, does not necessarily prevail in the vicinity of the jet stream. Second, echoes obtained at altitudes near the height of the horizontal wind maximum are found to be more aspect sensitive for beams directed parallel to the horizontal flow or nearly so, than for other beam directions. It is demonstrated that time-averaged horizontal wind speeds estimated from the radar data, taking into account the reduced effective oblique-beam zenith angle resulting from aspect sensitivity, may exceed uncorrected wind speeds by as much as 10 m s⁻¹ in these circumstances. Implications for wind profiling and for describing the backscattering process are discussed. Doppler spectral widths examined for one jet stream passage are found to be narrower in a beam aligned with the horizontal wind at heights near the wind speed maximum than corresponding widths measured in a beam projected at right angles to the jet. The narrowest spectra thus coincide with the most aspect-sensitive echoes, consistent with the hypothesis that such returns result from specular backscattering processes.     

Deep pore water profiles reflect enhanced microbial activity towards tidal flat margins

Microbial activity in permeable tidal flat margin sediments is enhanced by two main processes. First, organic matter is supplied by rapid sedimentation at prograding tidal flat margins. Second, surface and deep pore water advection lead to a replenishment of the dissolved organic matter and sulfate pools. Increasing microbial activity towards the low water line is reflected in sulfate and methane profiles as well as in total cell numbers, sulfate reduction rates, and remineralization products. The impact of high sedimentation rates on pore water biogeochemistry is confirmed by inverse modeling reproducing the depth profiles obtained by measurements. In central parts of the tidal flats, low sedimentation rates and pore water flow velocities limit microbial activity despite the high availability of electron acceptors for microbial respiration such as sulfate. Therefore, tidal flat margins with high microbial activity are of special importance for budgeting biogeochemical cycling in tidal flat areas.     

湘西沃溪W-Sb-Au矿床白钨矿Nd-Sr-Pb同位素对成矿流体的示踪

本文对湘西沃溪W-Sb-Au矿床白钨矿进行了系统的Nd-Sr-Pb同位素分析。结果表明,白钨矿的Sm、Nd含量较低,147Sm/144Nd(0.64~1.27)值和Sm/Nd值(1.11~2.22)变化较大,其εNd(t=199Ma)值也很低,平均为-25.5(n=9);白钨矿的87Sr/86Sr值(0.7476~0.7504)高,平均为0.74961(n=11),代表白钨矿形成时的初始87Sr/86Sr(t=199Ma)值;逐级分离Pb同位素分析结果显示白钨矿的206Pb/204Pb、207Pb/204Pb、208Pb/204Pb值变化范围小,平均依次分别为18.11、15.61、38.6,与含金石英脉中黄铁矿、蚀变围岩及区域板溪群板岩等的相应Pb同位素比值基本一致。白钨矿Nd-Sr-Pb同位素组成和闪锌矿等其他矿物的Sr同位素特征指示成矿流体来自板溪群下伏成熟陆壳、深部花岗质岩浆、浅部赋矿围岩等源区。成矿流体是这些来自不同源区的流体相作用而形成的混合流体。成矿作用则是这些不同源区的流体混合作用并演化的结果。且成矿流体演化早期是来自下伏成熟陆壳的流体与来自赋矿围岩的流体混合,导致早期W成矿;晚期是来自深部花岗质岩浆的流体与浅部赋矿围岩的流体混合作用,导致晚期Sb-Au成矿。W-Sb-Au成矿则是中生代陆内碰撞造山体制下不同期次的流体演化和叠加作用的结果。     

Theoretical studies of storm effects in ionospheric total electron content

Investigations have been made of the effects produced by thermospheric winds, composition changes and magnetospheric electric fields on the ionospheric F-layer during disturbed conditions. The results of the computations suggest that a combination of realistic temperature and electric field changes would explain fairly satisfactorily the observed changes in total electron content.