Annual Variation of Benthic Nutrient Fluxes in Shallow Coastal Waters (Gulf of Trieste, Northern Adriatic Sea)

Abstract. Benthic fluxes of dissolved N. Si and P nutrients, alkalinity, dissolved inorganic C (DIC), and O₂ from sediments in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic, Italy) were measured monthly for 16 months, using laboratory incubated flux chambers at in siru temperatures in the dark. The annual average fluxes were: 02 = -19.3 ± 8.2, DIC = 13.7 ± 9.6, NO3 = -0.04 ± 0.16, NH4 = 0.3 ± 0.4. PO₄= 4.001 ± 0.01, Si = 0.9 ± 0.1 mmol m-² d^-1, with strong temporal fluctuations. The highest effluxes of all nutrients and DIC were observed in the summer. Small effluxes of DIC and NH4 and influxes of Si and PO4 were observed in late winter. Only NH₄ (ca. 50%) and Si (ca. 70%) fluxes were significantly correlated with temperature. This correlation suggests that the rate of downward input and the quality of sedimented organic matter (autochthonous and allochthonous) were superimposed on the temperature fluctuations. High DIC, NH₄ and Si effluxes observed in May 1993 during low temperature were due to the degradation of sedimentary organic matter produced by an early spring bloom of benthic microalgae which occurred about 6 weeks earlies while the autumn phytoplankton bloom was simultaneously reflected in enhanced benthic fluxes due to higher temperature. The role of benthic biological advection in this transport across the sediment-water interface, evaluated by comparison between measured benthic and calculated diffusive fluxes from nutrient pore water concentrations, was of minor importance. This is probably due to low infaunal activity throughout the year it was localized mostly in the narrow surficial layer. The annual average diffusive fluxes of NH4 and PO4 were higher than those measured, probably due to the presence of nitrificationdenitrifi-cation processes and redox-dependent chemical reactions at the oxic sediment-water interface, respectively. Only during bottom-water hypoxia in September 1993 did strong PO₄ effluxes prevail. Calculations based on the Redfield stoichiometry of oxic decomposition of organic N to NH4 and NO3, and differences between diffusive and measured NH₄ fluxes showed that denitrifkation averaged 0.8 mmol m^-2 d^-1. Significant correlations between NH₄ and PO₄ DIC and Si, and NH4 and Si fluxes suggested their parallel regeneration and utilization at the sediment-water interface. The nutrient fluxes observed were not significantly linked to O₂ consumption, suggesting also that anaerobic oxidation processes were important at the sediment-water interface in the gulf. The N, P and Si nutriqnts released from sediment pore waters are probably utilized in benthic microalgal and bottorn-hater primary production. This indicates that pelagic and benthic communities in the central part of the Gulf of Trieste function relatively independently of each other.     

海山铁锰结壳基岩岩石学特征及其生长关系

为了研究海山铁锰结壳基岩类型与结壳壳层生长的关系。对麦哲伦海山及中太平洋海山区取得的铁锰结壳及其基岩样品在电子显微镜下进行了观察和研究。结果表明，上述2个区域基岩岩石类型主要有玄武岩，火山熔岩，火山碎屑岩，硅质岩和碳酸盐岩，其中麦哲伦海山玄武岩为块状构造，中太平洋海山玄武岩则主要为气孔-杏仁状构造，多发生蚀变或完全蚀变，硅质岩颗粒物质主要是硅藻，碳酸盐岩则以晶质灰岩为主，结壳壳层厚度在各类基岩类型上都有变化，以在玄武岩和碳酸盐岩上变化最大。     

An algorithm to resolve γ-rays from charged cosmic rays with DAMPE

The DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE),also known as Wukong in China,which was launched on 2015 December 17,is a new high energy cosmic ray and γ-ray satellite-borne observatory.One of the main scientific goals of DAMPE is to observe Ge V-Te V high energy γ-rays with accurate energy,angular and time resolution,to indirectly search for dark matter particles and for the study of high energy astrophysics. Due to the comparatively higher fluxes of charged cosmic rays with respect to γ-rays,it is challenging to identify γ-rays with sufficiently high efficiency,minimizing the amount of charged cosmic ray contamination. In this work we present a method to identify γ-rays in DAMPE data based on Monte Carlo simulations,using the powerful electromagnetic/hadronic shower discrimination provided by the calorimeter and the veto detection of charged particles provided by the plastic scintillation detector. Monte Carlo simulations show that after this selection the number of electrons and protons that contaminate the selected γ-ray events at～10 Ge V amounts to less than 1% of the selected sample.Finally,we use flight data to verify the effectiveness of the method by highlighting known γ-ray sources in the sky and by reconstructing preliminary light curves of the Geminga pulsar.     

Mineralogy and temperature of crater Haulani on Ceres

We investigate the region of crater Haulani on Ceres with an emphasis on mineralogy as inferred from data obtained by Dawn's Visible InfraRed mapping spectrometer (VIR), combined with multispectral image products from the Dawn Framing Camera (FC) so as to enable a clear correlation with specific geologic features. Haulani, which is one of the youngest craters on Ceres, exhibits a peculiar “blue” visible to near‐infrared spectral slope, and has distinct color properties as seen in multispectral composite images. In this paper, we investigate a number of spectral indices: reflectance; spectral slopes; abundance of Mg‐bearing and NH₄‐bearing phyllosilicates; nature and abundance of carbonates, which are diagnostic of the overall crater mineralogy; plus a temperature map that highlights the major thermal anomaly found on Ceres. In addition, for the first time we quantify the abundances of several spectral endmembers by using VIR data obtained at the highest pixel resolution (~0.1 km). The overall picture we get from all these evidences, in particular the abundance of Na‐ and hydrous Na‐carbonates at specific locations, confirms the young age of Haulani from a mineralogical viewpoint, and suggests that the dehydration of Na‐carbonates in the anhydrous form Na₂CO₃ may be still ongoing.     

Carbonaceous chondrites as analogs for the composition and alteration of Ceres

The mineralogy and geochemistry of Ceres, as constrained by Dawn's instruments, are broadly consistent with a carbonaceous chondrite (CM/CI) bulk composition. Differences explainable by Ceres’s more advanced alteration include the formation of Mg‐rich serpentine and ammoniated clay; a greater proportion of carbonate and lesser organic matter; amounts of magnetite, sulfide, and carbon that could act as spectral darkening agents; and partial fractionation of water ice and silicates in the interior and regolith. Ceres is not spectrally unique, but is similar to a few other C‐class asteroids, which may also have suffered extensive alteration. All these bodies are among the largest carbonaceous chondrite asteroids, and they orbit in the same part of the Main Belt. Thus, the degree of alteration is apparently related to the size of the body. Although the ammonia now incorporated into clay likely condensed in the outer nebula, we cannot presently determine whether Ceres itself formed in the outer solar system and migrated inward or was assembled within the Main Belt, along with other carbonaceous chondrite bodies.     

Ceres's global and localized mineralogical composition determined by Dawn's Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (VIR)

The Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (VIR) instrument on the Dawn mission observed Ceres’s surface at different spatial resolutions, revealing a nearly uniform global distribution of surface mineralogy. Clearly, Ceres experienced extensive water‐related processes and chemical differentiation. The surface is mainly composed of a dark component (carbon, magnetite?), Mg‐phyllosilicates, ammoniated clays, carbonates, and salts. The observed species suggest endogenous, global‐scale aqueous alteration. While mostly uniform at regional scale, Ceres’s surface shows small localized areas with different species and/or variations in abundances. Few local exposures of water ice are seen, especially at higher latitudes. Sodium carbonates have been identified in several areas on the surface, notably in Occator bright faculae. Organic matter has also been discovered in several places, most conspicuously in a large area close to the Ernutet crater. The observed mineralogies, with the presence of ammoniated species and sodium salts, have a strong resemblance to materials found on other bodies of the outer solar system, such as Enceladus. This poses some questions about the original material from which Ceres accreted, suggesting a colder environment for such material with respect to Ceres’s present position.     

Perceptive of the pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites and their relation to chondrites

We studied 149 pyroxenes from 69 pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites collected from deep-sea sediments of the Indian Ocean and South Pole Water Well at Antarctica, Amundsen-Scott South Pole station. The minor elements in pyroxenes from micrometeorites are present in the ranges as follows: MnO ~0.0–0.4 wt%, Al₂O₃ ~0.0–1.5 wt%, CaO ~0.0–1.0 wt%, Cr₂O₃ ~0.3–0.9 wt%, and FeO ~0.5–4 wt%. Their chemical compositions suggest that pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites are mostly related to precursors from carbonaceous chondrites rather than ordinary chondrites. The Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratio of the pyroxenes and olivines in micrometeorites shows similarities to carbonaceous chondrites with values lying between 0 and 0.2, and those with values beyond this range are dominated by ordinary chondrites. Atmospheric entry of the pyroxene-bearing micrometeorites is expected to have a relatively low entry velocity of <16 km s⁻¹ and high zenith angle (70–90°) to preserve their chemical compositions. In addition, similarities in the pyroxene and olivine mineralogical compositions between carbonaceous chondrites and cometary particles suggest that dust in the solar system is populated by materials from different sources that are chemically similar to each other. Our results on pyroxene chemical compositions reveal significant differences with those from ordinary chondrites. The narrow range in olivine and pyroxene chemical compositions are similar to those from carbonaceous chondrites, and a small proportion to ordinary chondrites indicates that dust is largely sourced from carbonaceous chondrite-type bodies.     

An on Orbit Determination of Point Spread Functions for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph</Emphasis>

Using the 2016 Mercury transit of the Sun, we characterize on orbit spatial point spread functions (PSFs) for the Near- (NUV) and Far- (FUV) Ultra-Violet spectrograph channels of NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). A semi-blind Richardson–Lucy deconvolution method is used to estimate PSFs for each channel. Corresponding estimates of Modulation Transfer Functions (MTFs) indicate resolution of 2.47 cycles/arcsec in the NUV channel near 2796 Å and 2.55 cycles/arcsec near 2814 Å. In the short (\({\approx}\,1336~\mathring{\mathrm{A}}\)) and long (\({\approx}\,1394~\mathring{\mathrm{A}}\)) wavelength FUV channels, our MTFs show pixel-limited resolution (3.0 cycles/arcsec). The PSF estimates perform well under deconvolution, removing or significantly reducing instrument artifacts in the Mercury transit spectra. The usefulness of the PSFs is demonstrated in a case study of an isolated explosive event. PSF estimates and deconvolution routines are provided through a SolarSoft module.     

The astrometric signal of microlensing events caused by free floating planets

Astrometric observations of microlensing events can be used to obtain important information about lenses. During these events, the shift of the position of the multiple image centroid with respect to the source star location can be measured. This effect, which is expected to occur on scales from micro-arcseconds to milli-arcseconds, depends on the lens-source-observer system physical parameters. Here, we consider the astrometric and photometric observations by space and ground-based telescopes of microlensing events towards the Galactic bulge caused by free floating planets (FFPs). We show that the efficiency of astrometric signal on photometrically detected microlensing events tends to increase for higher FFP masses in our Galaxy. In addition, we estimate that during five years of the Gaia observations, about a dozen of microlensing events caused by FFPs are expected to be detectable.     

Biological structures as a source of habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity on the deep ocean margins

Biological structures exert a major influence on species diversity at both local and regional scales on deep continental margins. Some organisms use other species as substrates for attachment, shelter, feeding or parasitism, but there may also be mutual benefits from the association. Here, we highlight the structural attributes and biotic effects of the habitats that corals, sea pens, sponges and xenophyophores offer other organisms. The environmental setting of the biological structures influences their species composition. The importance of benthic species as substrates seems to increase with depth as the complexity of the surrounding geological substrate and food supply decline. There are marked differences in the degree of mutualistic relationships between habitat-forming taxa. This is especially evident for scleractinian corals, which have high numbers of facultative associates (commensals) and few obligate associates (mutualists), and gorgonians, with their few commensals and many obligate associates. Size, flexibility and architectural complexity of the habitat-forming organism are positively related to species diversity for both sessile and mobile species. This is mainly evident for commensal species sharing a facultative relationship with their host. Habitat complexity is enhanced by the architecture of biological structures, as well as by biological interactions. Colony morphology has a great influence on feeding efficiency for suspension feeders. Suspension feeding, habitat-forming organisms modify the environment to optimize their food uptake. This environmental advantage is also passed on to associated filter-feeding species. These effects are poorly understood but represent key points for understanding ecosystems and biodiversity on continental margins. In this paper we explore the contributions of organisms and the biotic structures they create (rather than physical modifications) to habitat heterogeneity and diversity on the deep continental margins.