Wide-spaced sampling of humus in fennoscandia

In support of IGCP Project 259 (International Geochemical Mapping), a pilot survey designed to test the effectiveness of analysing dried humus collected at an extremely low sampling density (one composite sample per 23 000 km²) for geochemical mapping was carried out in 49 large catchment basins in Fennoscandia. The samples were analysed for their aqua-regia leachable contents of 30 elements by ICP-ES. The results were compared with those of till sampled at the same sites and with moss from previous surveys. The correlation with underlying bedrock was also studied.Geological features exert only a weak influence on the regional distribution of elements in humus. Exceptions are high levels of Ca and Sr in areas of carbonate bedrock and low contents of K in areas of Archean rocks. The distribution patterns of Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, Ni and Zn in humus coincide partly, and the levels correlate positively with those in till. The contents of Ni, Cr and Cu are lower in humus overlying acid magmatic rocks and arkose than other rock types.Pollution is the obvious source of high concentrations of Pb, Cd and Zn in southern Sweden and southern Norway. Acid fallout seems to cause leaching of Al, P and La from the humus horizon. The contents of these elements are low in the south where deposition of S and N is high and pH of rainwater is below 4.5. Deposition of sea salts gives high levels of Na, Mg, K and B along the coast of Norway and southern Sweden.The contents of several elements in humus correlate positively with the amount of organic matter (LOI). Comparison between four types of forest shows that the contents of Ca, Mg and Na in birch forest and of Cd, Mn, Pb and Zn in spruce forest are significantly higher than in other forest types. These features, however, are considered false and are due to sources such as atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic metals and sea salt.The results of the relatively strong chemical attack used for analyses of humus samples are less informative than those from till and overbank sediments. A weaker attack may have given more useful information. The humus horizon could be suited for environmental monitoring if used in global geochemical mapping.     

Assessment of marine benthic quality change in gradients of disturbance: Comparison of different Scandinavian multi-metric indices

Three multi-metric benthic macrofauna indices were used to assess marine benthic ecological quality status (EcoQS) according to the European Water Framework Directive, in seven pollution gradients mainly, western Scandinavia. The impacts included organic load, hypoxia, metals, urban effluents and physical disturbance. The indices responded in a similar threshold fashion, irrespective of impact factor identity. Usually, the border between Good and Moderate EcoQS (G/M), is determined as some deviation from a reference situation. References, however, are difficult to find. An alternative procedure is described to estimate the G/M border, not requiring reference data. Thresholds, where faunal structure deterioration commences, were identified from non-linear regressions between indices and impact factors. Index values from the less impacted side of the thresholds were assumed to come from environments of Good and High EcoQS, and the 5th percentile of these data, was defined as the G/M border. Estimated G/M borders compared well with previous studies.     

Effects of sonication and advanced chemical oxidants on the unicellular green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta and cysts, larvae and adults of the brine shrimp Artemia salina: a prospective treatment to eradicate invasive organisms from ballast water

Uptake and release of ship-borne ballast water is a major factor contributing to introductions of aquatic phytoplankton and invasive macroinvertebrates. Some invasive unicellular algae can cause harmful algal blooms and produce toxins that build up in food chains. Moreover, to date, few studies have compared the efficacy of ballast water treatments against different life history phases of aquatic macroinvertebrates. In the present study, the unicellular green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta, and three discrete life history phases of the brine shrimp Artemia salina, were independently used as model organisms to study the efficacy of sonication as well as the advanced oxidants, hydrogen peroxide and ozone, as potential ballast water treatments. Algal cells and brine shrimp cysts, nauplii, and adults were subjected to individual and combined treatments of sonication and advanced oxidants. Combined rather than individual treatments consistently yielded the highest levels of mortality in algal cells (100% over a 2 min exposure) and in brine shrimp (100% and 95% for larvae and adults, respectively, over a 2 min exposure). In contrast, mortality levels in brine shrimp cysts (66% over 2 min; increased to 92% over a 20 min exposure) were moderately high but consistently lower than that detected for larval or adult shrimp. Our results indicate that a combination of sonication and advanced chemical oxidants may be a promising method to eradicate aquatic unicellular algae and macroinvertebrates in ballast water.     

Late-orogenic Svecofennian deformation in SW Finland constrained by pegmatite emplacement ages

Late stages of the Svecofennian orogeny in SW Finland were related to a tranpressional stress field and dextral movements along crustal scale shear zones under decreasing temperature and pressure conditions. In the Kemiö area, a minimum estimate for the time span of movements along one of these shear zones is obtained from the ages of 1840 to 1830 Myr-old microcline granite sheets, related to early ductile deformation, and by dating structurally late rare-mineral granite pegmatites, related to brittle deformation. One pegmatite was emplaced when the rheological conditions in the gabbro changed from ductile to semi-ductile and brittle. It has U-Pb ferrotapiolite ages ranging between 1807.0 ± 2.9 Myr (2 ) and 1803.1 + 2.9/ -2.0 Myr (2 ). Another pegmatite emplaced under brittle conditions has an U-Pb ferrotapiolite age of 1802.9 ± 1.3 Myr (2 ). These pegmatites were emplaced preferentially in gabbroic rocks, that showed brittle to semi-ductile deformation at a time when their more felsic host-rocks still showed ductile deformation. The age range bracketed by the microcline granite sheets and the structurally late pegmatites indicates that ductile deformation related to the transpressional Late Svecofennian tectonic regime in southwestern Finland, persisted for at least 30–40 Myr.     

Topic 2: Movement and interaction of nitrates and pesticides in the vegetation cover—soil groundwater-rock system

Organic and inorganic materials brought into the soil by intensive agricultural activities are decomposed in the soil zone by chemical and biochemical effects and redox processes and will enter into the infiltration process in the form of dissolved ions. Water movement in the unsaturated and saturated infiltration zone is subject to the laws of hydrology, but the changes of dissolved material content are controlled by chemical and biochemical effects also subject to changes in the transport processes.     

Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the middle Jurassic Tarbert Formation, Oseberg South area (northern North Sea)

This paper describes the development of a regressive-to-transgressive shoreline wedge within the Middle Jurassic Tarbert Formation in the Oseberg South area (northern North Sea), as interpreted from core and log data from more than hundred wells. The wedge is described in terms of four facies associations (FA1–FA4). The lower, regressive portion of the wedge (FA1–FA2) contains both coarsening upward wave/storm-dominated shoreline deposits as well as coal-bearing paralic deposits, and was deposited during ascending regression. The upper, transgressive portion of the wedge (FA3–FA4) is characterised by wave-dominated estuarine deposits, exhibiting an upward change from inner to central to outer estuarine deposits. In contrast to some earlier studies, it is argued that this part was deposited during accretionary transgression. The present study documents an estuarine system that developed without any preceding fall of relative sea level and valley incision. It is argued that differential fault-induced subsidence created a broad gentle sag wherein one or several estuarine systems developed as the depositional system became transgressive. The subtle fault-induced subsidence is related to the tectonic evolution in the North Sea Basin.     

An approach to the intercalibration of benthic ecological status assessment in the North Atlantic ecoregion, according to the European Water Framework Directive

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) establishes a framework for the protection and improvement of transitional and coastal waters; its final objective is to achieve at least 'good water status' for all waters, by 2015. The WFD requires Member States (MSs) to assess the Ecological Status (ES) of water bodies. This assessment will be based upon the status of the biological, hydromorphological and physico-chemical quality elements, by comparing data obtained from monitoring networks to reference (undisturbed) conditions, and then deriving an Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR). One of the biological quality elements to be considered is the benthic invertebrate component and some structural parameters (composition, diversity and disturbance-sensitive taxa) must be included in the ES assessment. Following these criteria, several approaches to benthic invertebrate assessment have been proposed by MSs. The WFD requires that these approaches are intercalibrated. This contribution describes the comparison of the different methodologies proposed by United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark and Norway. Results show a high consistency between the approaches, both with regard to determining the EQR and boundary settings for the ES.     

Speleothem preservation and diagenesis in South African hominin sites implications for paleoenvironments and geochronology

Plio‐Pleistocene speleothems from australopithecine‐bearing caves of South Africa have the potential to yield paleoenvironmental and geochronological information using isotope geochemistry. Prior to such studies it is important to assess the preservation of geochemical signals within the calcitic and aragonitic speleothems, given the tendency of aragonitic speleothems to recrystallize to calcite. This study documents the geochemical suitability of speleothems from the principal hominin‐bearing deposits of South Africa. We use petrography, together with stable isotope and trace element analysis, to identify the occurrence of primary aragonite, primary calcite, and secondary calcite. This study highlights the presence of diagenetic alteration at many of the sites, often observed as interbedded primary and secondary fabrics. Trace element and stable isotopic values distinguish primary calcite from secondary calcite and offer insights into geochemical aspects of the past cave environment. δ¹³C values of the primary and secondary calcites range from +6 to −9‰ and δ¹⁸O values range from −4 to −6‰. The data are thus typical of meteoric calcites with highly variable δ¹³C and relatively invariant δ¹⁸O. High carbon isotope values in these deposits are associated with the effects of recrystallization and rapid outgassing of CO₂ during precipitation. Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios differ between primary and secondary calcite speleothems, aiding their identification. Carbon and oxygen isotope values in primary calcite reflect the proportion of C₃ and C₄ vegetation in the local environment and the oxygen isotope composition of rainfall. Primary calcite speleothems preserve the pristine geochemical signals vital for ongoing paleoenvironmental and geochronological research. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.