Chemical and biological characterization of particles by flow cytometry in the Krka estuary, Croatia

Flow cytometry was used to characterize suspended particles in the Krka estuary (Croatia). This technique allows a rapid characterization and quantification of individual particles; it is based on the simultaneous measurement of the light scatter and natural or induced fluorescence. The relative size of the particles was determined by light scatter signals and by a calibration with fluorescent beads.The determination of organic particles was carried out by staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The autofluorescence of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and phycoerythrin) present in the phytoplankton population was measured. The carbohydrates (galactose and glucose-mannose) were stained by lectins conjugated to FITC. The abundance of organic coatings or mineral particles and detritus was obtained from the difference between the total number of particles stained by specific carbohydrate fluorochromes and living cells.Results show that the Krka estuary is characterized by the occurrence of very small particles. About 80% of suspended particles are organic, most of these particles being living cells. The only exception is the Guduca River, a small tributary.     

7-ethylresorufin O-deethylase activity and level of DNA-adducts in trout treated with benzo(a)pyrene

In fish, as well as in mammals, it is well known that the cytochrome P450-dependent oxidative metabolism of xenobiotics can generate DNA-reactive species. Moreover, this metabolism is known to be inducible by several compounds of environmental significance, such as polychlorobiphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins. Consequently, we studied the relationship between the degree of induction of the cytochrome P4501A, expressed as that of 7-ethylresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, and the level of DNA-adducts, using the post-labelling assay, in the liver of rainbow trout exposed to benzo(a)pyrene (a representative PAH). The results showed a significant 2- to 4-fold increase in EROD activity 2, 4 and 8 days after treatment, paralleled by an increase in DNA-adduct levels. This work further emphasizes the involvement of cytochrome P4501A in the metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene into genotoxic metabolites in rainbow trout.     

Aquifer Discharge Drives Microbial Community Change in Karst Estuaries

Karst estuaries are unique systems governed by freshwater inputs that flow directly to the sea through karst conduits and/or matrices. Because they are found at the interface between terrestrial and marine environments, they can act as sentinels to climate change and as indicators of aquifer health. The physical and geochemical gradients formed in karst estuaries are a direct result of the interactions between inland hydrological conditions and sea level. To examine the influence these gradients have on microbial communities in the water column and sediment of a karst estuary, we studied the spring-fed Double Keyhole Karst Estuary in west central Florida for a 2-year period. Four sites were monitored within this system starting at the Double Keyhole Spring Conduit extending 2 km west through the estuary toward the Gulf of Mexico. Water column and sediment samples were collected quarterly at all sites from September 2011 through September 2013. Archaeal, bacterial, and microbial eukaryote communities were analyzed using quantitative PCR and length-heterogeneity PCR. The biological communities were analyzed in the context of hydrological, physical, and geochemical parameters in order to determine which factor(s) governed the observed changes of microbial abundance and richness. The major finding of this study was that microbial community change in this karst estuary was primarily driven by the volume of aquifer discharge and associated physical gradients, and less by the geochemical fluctuations within the system.     

A semi-empirical wind set-up forecasting model for Lake Champlain

The precision of Lake Champlain's water level estimation is a key component in the flood forecasting process for the Richelieu River. Hydrological models do not typically take into consideration the effects of the wind on the water level (also known as the wind set-up). The objective of this study is to create an empirical wind set-up forecast model for Lake Champlain during high wind events. The proposed model uses wind speed and direction across the Lake, as well as wind gusts as inputs. The model is calibrated to a subset of observations and evaluated on an independent sample, considering four wind speed bins. It is tested and compared to a variant of the Zuider Zee equation on 20 wind set-up events that occurred between 2017 and 2019 using hindcast data from five different numerical weather prediction systems (GDPS, RDPS, HRDPS, NOAA and ECMWF). A quantile mapping-based forecast calibration scheme is implemented for each of the forecast products to correct their biases. Results show that events are successfully predicted by the proposed model at least 72 h in advance. These results are better than the other comparative models found in the literature and tested herein. Overall, significant improvements are obtained by including wind speed and wind gusts from different weather stations.     

A detailed analysis of the February 1996 aftershock sequence in the eastern Pyrenees, France

Following the 1996 February 18 M _L = 5.2 earthquake in the Agly massif in the eastern French Pyrenees, we installed a temporary network of seismometers around the epicentre. In this paper, we analyse 336 well-located aftershocks recorded from February 19 to February 23 by 18 temporary stations and two permanent stations located less than 35  km from the epicentre. Most aftershocks have been located with an accuracy better than 1.5  km in both horizontal and vertical positions. Their spatial distribution suggests the reactivation of a known fault system. We determined 39 fault-plane solutions using P -wave first motions. Despite their diversity, the focal mechanisms yield an E–W subhorizontal T-axis. We also determined fault-plane solutions and principal stress axes using the method developed by Rivera & Cisternas (1990 ) for the 15 best-recorded events. We obtain a pure-shear-rupture tectonic regime under N–S subhorizontal compression and E–W subhorizontal extension. These principal stress axes, which explain the focal mechanisms for at least 75 per cent of the 39 aftershocks, are different from the axes deduced from the main shock. The post-earthquake stress field caused by the main-shock rupture, modelled as sinistral strike slip on three vertical fault segments, is computed for various orientations and magnitudes of the regional stress field, assumed to be horizontal. The aftershock distribution is best explained for a compressive stress field oriented N30°E. Most aftershocks concentrate where the Coulomb failure stress change increases by more than 0.2  MPa. The diversity of aftershock focal mechanisms, poorly explained by this model, may reflect the great diversity in the orientations of pre-existing fractures in the Agly massif.     

Pathogens in Water: Value and Limits of Correlation with Microbial Indicators

This article discusses the value and limitations of using microbial indicators to predict occurrence of enteric pathogens in water. Raw or treated sewage is a primary source of fecal contamination of the receiving surface water or groundwater; hence, understanding the relationship between pathogens and indicators in sewage is an important step in understanding the correlation in receiving waters. This article presents three different datasets representing different concentrations of pathogens and microbial indicators: sewage containing high concentrations of pathogens and indicators, surface water with variable concentrations, and groundwater with low concentrations. In sewage, even with very high levels of microorganisms, no mathematical correlation can predict the type or concentration of any pathogen. After discharge in the environment, direct correlation becomes biologically improbable as dilution, transport, and different inactivation rates occur in various environments. In surface waters, advanced statistical methods such as logistic regression have provided some level of predictability of the occurrence of pathogens but not specific counts. In groundwater, the continuous absence of indicators indicates an improbable occurrence of pathogen. In contrast, when these indicators are detected, pathogen occurrence probability increases significantly. In groundwater, given the nature and dissemination pattern of pathogenic microorganisms, a direct correlation with fecal microbial indicators is not observed and should not be expected. However, the indicators are still useful as a measure of risk. In summary, many pathogens of public health importance do not behave like fecal microbial indicators, and there is still no absolute indicator of their presence, only a probability of their co‐occurrence.     

Giant palaeotsunami in Kiribati: Converging evidence from geology and oral history

For tsunami science within Oceania, the vast Central and Western Pacific (CEWEP) is an anomalous region because of the scarcity of historical tsunami observations and the complete absence of dated palaeotsunami evidence. This paper therefore records the first dated high-magnitude palaeotsunami event within the CEWEP region. A combination of both geological data and oral history is provided for a palaeotsunami that struck remote Makin island, northernmost of the Gilbert Islands in Kiribati, toward the end of the 16th century. A previously undocumented oral tradition of giant waves is well known to the people of Makin. Narration of this legend by the Wiin te Maneaba, traditional storyteller on Makin, provided important details supporting a tsunami hypothesis. The legend preserves credible information surrounding the giant-wave origin of Rebua and Tokia, two prominent subaerial megaclasts of blade and block geometry that were transported 80–130 m shorewards from the reef-edge source and deposited in sideways and inverted orientations. From available hydrodynamic flow transport equations, minimum flow velocities of 7.3–16.3 m s⁻¹ were generated, depending on whether the reefblocks were rotated or lifted onto the reef platform. The youngest U-Th age-dates for fossil corals retrieved from the reefblocks give a maximum age for the palaeotsunami of circa AD 1576. Several far-field Pacific Rim and regional possibilities exist for tsunamigenesis. These include subduction-zone seismicity and catastrophic volcanic eruption, both of which have been linked to earlier (late 15th century) palaeotsunami events recorded elsewhere in the Pacific Islands. However, the available evidence here suggests that the ~AD 1576 Makin palaeotsunami was more likely to have been locally generated by tsunamigenic offshore submarine slope failure close to Makin's western reef, associated with the giant arcuate bight structure that characterizes the northern rim of Butaritari atoll.