Biomineralization of As(V)-hydrous ferric oxyhydroxide in microbial mats of an acid-sulfate-chloride geothermal spring, Yellowstone National Park

Acid-sulfate-chloride (pH∼3) geothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) often contain Fe(II), As(III), and S(-II) at discharge, providing several electron donors for chemolithotrophic metabolism. The microbial populations inhabiting these environments are inextricably linked with geochemical processes controlling the behavior of As and Fe. Consequently, the objectives of the current study were to (i) characterize Fe-rich microbial mats of an ASC thermal spring, (ii) evaluate the composition and structure of As-rich hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) associated with these mats, and (iii) identify microorganisms that are potentially responsible for mat formation via the oxidation of Fe(II) and or As(III). Aqueous and solid phase mat samples obtained from a spring in Norris Basin, YNP (YNP Thermal Inventory NHSP35) were analyzed using a complement of chemical, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. In addition, molecular analysis (16S rDNA) was used to identify potentially dominant microbial populations within different mat locations. The biomineralization of As-rich HFO occurs in the presence of nearly equimolar aqueous As(III) and As(V) (∼12 μM), and ∼ 48 μM Fe(II), forming sheaths external to microbial cell walls. These solid phases were found to be poorly ordered nanocrystalline HFO containing mole ratios of As(V):Fe(III) of 0.62 ± 0.02. The bonding environment of As(V) and Fe(III) is consistent with adsorption of arsenate on edge and corner positions of Fe(III)-OH octahedra. Numerous archaeal and bacterial sequences were identified (with no closely related cultured relatives), along with several 16S sequences that are closely related to Acidimicrobium, Thiomonas, Metallosphaera and Marinithermus isolates. Several of these cultured relatives have been implicated in Fe(II) and or As(III) oxidation in other low pH, high Fe, and high As environments (e.g. acid-mine drainage). The unique composition and morphologies of the biomineralized phases may be useful as modern-day analogs for identifying microbial life in past Fe-As rich environments.     

Experimental evaluation of the coalescence efficiencies of colliding water drops

The coalescence of water drops of sizes comparable to rain drops (200–2500 m diameter) was investigated. The method used provided a good separation between collision and coalescence effects. The result suggests a dependence of the coalescence efficiency on both the size of the large drop and the ratio of the radii of the interacting drops (p-ratio). The coalescence was observed to rapidly decrease due to bouncing and partial coalescence as the angle of impact increased from head-on to grazing angle. However, some bouncing was observed at very low impact angles.The results of the coalescence efficiency were fitted with an empirical equation for use in numerical models of cloud growth and precipitation development.On sabbatical leave (1976–77) from the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

The use of general circulation models in climate impact analysis — A preliminary study of the impacts of a CO2- induced climatic change on West European agriculture

An investigation is made of the possible impacts of a climatic change (induced by a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration) on the European agricultural sector. Two general circulation models have been used to develop climatic change scenarios for the European study area. From the scenarios, information was obtained concerning the possible behavior of temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, and relative humidity in the altered climatic state. This meteorological information was then employed in two separate crop-weather models - an empirical/statistical model (for winter wheat) and a simple simulation model (for biomass potential). This type of approach represents a considerable departure from that employed by previous large-scale climate impact studies. Both the seasonal and regional components of a possible climatic change are incorporated directly in the two crop-weather models. The results of this investigation demonstrate that a simple crop-weather simulation model may be more suitable for the purposes of agricultural impact analysis than the linear regression models frequently used in such studies. In order for such an impact analysis to be accepted as a valid scientific experiment, a full presentation of the underlying assumptions and uncertainties is essential.     

The Role of Ground-Based GPS Meteorological Observations in Numerical Weather Prediction

For lack of sufficient observations, the definition of atmospheric moisture fields (including water vapor and clouds) remains a difficult problem whose solution is essential for improved weather forecasts. Moisture fields are under-observed in time and space, primarily because the distribution of water in the atmosphere is highly variable. Because water is important in weather and climate processes, a significant effort has been expended to develop new or improved remote sensing systems to mitigate this problem. One such system uses ground-based Global Positoning System (GPS) receivers to make accurate all-weather estimates of atmospheric refractivity at very low cost. This largely unanticipated application of GPS had led to a new and potentially significant upper-air observing system for meteorological agencies and researchers around the world (Wolfe & Gutman, 2000). The first and most mature use of GPS for this purpose is in the estimation of integrated (total column) precipitable water vapor above a fixed site (Duan et al., 1996, with improvements by Niell, 1996, and Fang et al., 1998). The techniques currently used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Forecast Systems Laboratory (NOAA/FSL) to collect, process, and distribute GPS water vapor observations are mature and almost ready for transition to operational use. NOAA/FSL has shown that GPS integrated water vapor data can be used effectively in objective (i. e., numerical weather prediction) and subjective weather forecasting. To understand the strengths and limitations of GPS for weather forecasting, it is essential to understant what types of information are currently available to forecasters and modelers, and how models use the data to describe the current and probable future state of the atmosphere. It is also important to understand the current trends in modern weather prediction to ensure that GPS observing system play a significant role in the future. ? 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Inter-annual variability in isotope and elemental ratios recorded in otoliths of an anadromous fish

Isotope ratios and elemental concentrations in otoliths are often used as natural tags to reconstruct migratory movements and connectivity patterns in marine and anadromous fishes. Although differences in otolith geochemistry have been documented among geographically separated populations, inter-annual variation within locations is less frequently examined. We compared otolith isotope (δ¹⁸O and ⁸⁷Sr:⁸⁶Sr) and elemental ratios (Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca) from several annual cohorts of juvenile American shad (Alosa sapidissima) in three rivers. These four geochemical signatures distinguished among river-specific populations of this species at both large and small geographic scales, with δ¹⁸O and ⁸⁷Sr:⁸⁶Sr generating the majority of multivariate variation. We found significant variation among years for all variables in two to three rivers. However, the magnitude of variability differed among ratios, with δ¹⁸O ratios showing substantial inter-annual shifts while ⁸⁷Sr:⁸⁶Sr ratios were relatively stable across years. Sr:Ca and Ba:Ca ratios also varied among years. These results imply that investigators using environmentally labile signatures must quantify geochemical signatures for each cohort of interest in order to confidently identify origins of migrants.     

Pyroclastic dune bedforms: macroscale structures and lateral variations. Examples from the 2006 pyroclastic currents at Tungurahua (Ecuador)

Pyroclastic currents are catastrophic flows of gas and particles triggered by explosive volcanic eruptions. For much of their dynamics, they behave as particulate density currents and share similarities with turbidity currents. Pyroclastic currents occasionally deposit dune bedforms with peculiar lamination patterns, from what is thought to represent the dilute low concentration and fluid‐turbulence supported end member of the pyroclastic currents. This article presents a high resolution dataset of sediment plates (lacquer peels) with several closely spaced lateral profiles representing sections through single pyroclastic bedforms from the August 2006 eruption of Tungurahua (Ecuador). Most of the sedimentary features contain backset bedding and preferential stoss‐face deposition. From the ripple scale (a few centimetres) to the largest dune bedform scale (several metres in length), similar patterns of erosive‐based backset beds are evidenced. Recurrent trains of sub‐vertical truncations on the stoss side of structures reshape and steepen the bedforms. In contrast, sporadic coarse‐grained lenses and lensoidal layers flatten bedforms by filling troughs. The coarsest (clasts up to 10 cm), least sorted and massive structures still exhibit lineation patterns that follow the general backset bedding trend. The stratal architecture exhibits strong lateral variations within tens of centimetres, with very local truncations both in flow‐perpendicular and flow‐parallel directions. This study infers that the sedimentary patterns of bedforms result from four formation mechanisms: (i) differential draping; (ii) slope‐influenced saltation; (iii) truncative bursts; and (iv) granular‐based events. Whereas most of the literature makes a straightforward link between backset bedding and Froude‐supercritical flows, this interpretation is reconsidered here. Indeed, features that would be diagnostic of subcritical dunes, antidunes and ‘chute and pools’ can be found on the same horizon and in a single bedform, only laterally separated by short distances (tens of centimetres). These data stress the influence of the pulsating and highly turbulent nature of the currents and the possible role of coherent flow structures such as Görtler vortices. Backset bedding is interpreted here as a consequence of a very high sedimentation environment of weak and waning currents that interact with the pre‐existing morphology. Quantification of near‐bed flow velocities is made via comparison with wind tunnel experiments. It is estimated that shear velocities of ca 0·30 m.s^?1 (equivalent to pure wind velocity of 6 to 8 m.s^?1 at 10 cm above the bed) could emplace the constructive bedsets, whereas the truncative phases would result from bursts with impacting wind velocities of at least 30 to 40 m.s^?1.     

Antecedent aeolian dune topographic control on carbonate and evaporite facies: Middle Jurassic Todilto Member,Wanakah Formation,Ghost Ranch,New Mexico,USA

The Middle Jurassic Todilto Member of the Wanakah Formation is a carbonate and gypsum unit inset into the underlying aeolian Entrada Sandstone in the San Juan Basin. Field and thin section study of the uppermost Entrada and Todilto at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, identified Todilto facies and their relationship to remnant Entrada dune topography. Results support the previous interpretation that the Entrada dunes, housed in a basin below sea level, were rapidly flooded by marine waters. Mass wasting of the dunes gave rise to sediment‐gravity flows that largely buried remnant dune topography, leaving ca 12 m of relief that defined the antecedent condition for Todilto deposition. Previously interpreted as seasonal varves deposited in a stratified water body, the Todilto is reinterpreted as a microbial biolaminite. Most diagnostic are organic‐rich laminae with structures characteristic of filamentous microbes and containing trapped aeolian silt, and clotted‐texture laminae with a fabric associated with calcification of extracellular polymeric substances. The spatial arrangement of Todilto facies is controlled by the dune palaeotopography. A continuous basal laminated mudstone thickens over the dune crest, reflecting the optimum conditions for microbial mat development, and is interpreted to have been deposited when marine waters submerged the topography. Subsequent drying caused emergence of the crestal area, and formation of tepee structures and a dissolution breccia. Gypsiferous mudflats and periodic ponds occupied the dune flanks and interdune area, with gypsum concentrated within the interdune area. Entrada sands remained unstable during Todilto deposition with common injection structures into the Todilto, and a remnant slope caused the downslope movement and folding of Todilto strata on the upper lee face. Although some expansion of the gypsum occurred in the subsurface, facies architecture fostered development of a dissolution front adjacent to the interdune gypsum body with section collapse of gypsiferous limestone on the dune flanks.