Quantifying bioirrigation using ecological parameters: a stochastic approach†

Irrigation by benthic macrofauna has a major influence on the biogeochemistry and microbial community structure of sediments. Existing quantitative models of bioirrigation rely primarily on chemical, rather than ecological, information and the depth-dependence of bioirrigation intensity is either imposed or constrained through a data fitting procedure. In this study, stochastic simulations of 3D burrow networks are used to calculate mean densities, volumes and wall surface areas of burrows, as well as their variabilities, as a function of sediment depth. Burrow networks of the following model organisms are considered: the polychaete worms Nereis diversicolor and Schizocardium sp., the shrimp Callianassa subterranea, the echiuran worm Maxmuelleria lankesteri, the fiddler crabs Uca minax, U. pugnax and U. pugilator, and the mud crabs Sesarma reticulatum and Eurytium limosum. Consortia of these model organisms are then used to predict burrow networks in a shallow water carbonate sediment at Dry Tortugas, FL, and in two intertidal saltmarsh sites at Sapelo Island, GA. Solute-specific nonlocal bioirrigation coefficients are calculated from the depth-dependent burrow surface areas and the radial diffusive length scale around the burrows. Bioirrigation coefficients for sulfate obtained from network simulations, with the diffusive length scales constrained by sulfate reduction rate profiles, agree with independent estimates of bioirrigation coefficients based on pore water chemistry. Bioirrigation coefficients for O₂ derived from the stochastic model, with the diffusion length scales constrained by O₂ microprofiles measured at the sediment/water interface, are larger than irrigation coefficients based on vertical pore water chemical profiles. This reflects, in part, the rapid attenuation with depth of the O₂ concentration within the burrows, which reduces the driving force for chemical transfer across the burrow walls. Correction for the depletion of O₂ in the burrows results in closer agreement between stochastically-derived and chemically-derived irrigation coefficient profiles.     

Introduction to the PICES practical workshop: objectives,overview of the study area,and projects conducted by the participants

We coordinated a collaborative research project to investigate environmental conditions in Vancouver Harbour, British Columbia, Canada, between 23 May and 7 June 1999. This special volume of Marine Environmental Research presents a collection of papers giving results of these studies. The project was part of a practical workshop sponsored by the Marine Environmental Quality (MEQ) committee of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). Twenty-four scientists from PICES countries (USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, and China) participated. A wide variety of data was collected, including community structure of benthic invertebrates and fish, evaluation of fish health using biological markers and exposure data, evaluation of contaminant exposure in inter-tidal invertebrates, imposex in gastropods, and information about natural toxins produced by algae. The workshop provided an opportunity for PICES participants to gain an improved appreciation of the approaches and techniques used by other member countries to assess the effects of marine pollution. The purpose of this introductory paper is to briefly describe the project, provide background information on how it was organized, and give an overview of our knowledge about the harbour's environment.     

Organic and trace metal contaminants in sediments and English sole tissues from Vancouver Harbour,Canada

As part of a multinational workshop on marine environmental quality, sediments were collected from seven sites in Vancouver Harbour and analyzed for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorines (OCs), and for trace metals. English sole were collected from five sites, and muscle was analyzed for trace metals and liver for OCs. As expected, sediment PAH and OC concentrations and tissue OC concentrations were higher at sites east of the First Narrows, compared to the outer harbor and reference sites. Sediment PAH concentrations east of the First Narrows were similar to concentrations at moderately contaminated sites in Puget Sound, south of Vancouver Harbour. In contrast, concentrations of OCs in sediments and tissue were low to moderate, even at relatively contaminated sites within Vancouver Harbour. Although several trace metals in sediments were higher than in contaminated sediments from Puget Sound, trace metals measured in fish muscle were lower.     

Basin evolution model during cretaceous in the northeastern of Arabian plate in Kurdistan region

The research area concentrates in a part of the main Zagros fold and thrust belt in the Kurdistan region (Northern Iraq). From study tectono-stratigraphy we constrain the story of the basin evolution of Kurdistan during Cretaceous. However we mainly investigated the evolution of the pre-Subduction and Pre-collision periods, focusing on the relationship between tectonics and sedimentation. For this purposes we developed (1) a biostratigraphic approach using nannofossil analysis, (2) a fault tectonic analysis, and (3) a stratigraphic study. The Zagros fold belt in Kurdistan exhibits many lateral and vertical environmental and facies changes, especially during the Cretaceous times. During the Jurassic period the Kurdistan is occupied by the restricted Gotnia Basin. This basin disappeared and the Kurdistan area changed to open marine of a southwest Kermanshah Basin during the Cretaceous. During the Berriasian to Barremian the Kurdistan was covered by the carbonates of the Balambo and Sarmord formations. In the east and southeast the neritic Sarmord Formation gradationally and laterally passes to the basinal facies of the Balambo Formation. In the Aptian to Cenomanian period shallow massive reefal limestone of the Qamchuqa Formation deposited. The normal faulting that initiates during the Aptian is associated with an abrupt lateral change of the reefal Qamchuqa Formation to the Aptian-Cenomanian part of the Balambo Formation. During the Cenomanian-Early Turonian periods the graben formed in the Dokan Lake in eastern Kurdistan, where developed a deeper restricted environment (Dokan and Gulneri formations) surrounded by a shallow marine platform. During the Turonian the marine pelagic micritic cherty limestones of Kometan Formation covered northeast of Kurdistan, whereas in the Safeen, Shakrok and Harir anticlines the formation was totally, or partially, weathered during the Coniacian-Early Campanian period. The deposition during the Late Cretaceous is very heterogeneous with a gap in the Coniacian-Santonian times probably related to a non-deposition. Associated with extensive tectonics a basin developed during the Campanian with the deposition of shales, marls and marly limestones of the Shiranish Formation. The first appearance is the Kurdistan of the flysch facies of the Tanjero Formation was precisely dated of the Upper Campanian in northeastern Kurdistan. The Tanjero Formation conformably overlaying the Shiranish Formation and was deposited in the foredeep basin associated with the obduction of Tethyan ophiolites onto the Arabian Platform. The Early to Late Campanian period is a time of non-deposition in Central Kurdistan (Safeen, Shakrok and Harir anticlines). During the Late Campanian the Bekhme carbonate platform in the north disappeared when the marly limestones of the Shiranish Formation transgressed over the Bekmeh Platform. In the Aqra area the Maastrichtian Tanjero Formation laterally changed to the thick reefal sequence of the Aqra Formation that unconformably overlies by the Late Paleocene-Early Eocene lagoonal carbonate of the Khurmala Formation. The Campanian sedimentation is mainly controlled by NE- oriented normal faults forming Grabens in Dokan, Spilk and Soran areas. During the Maastrichtian in the extreme northeastern Kurdistan the NE-SW and NNW-SSE normal faults developed in the foredeep basin and originated horsts and grabens.     

Treatment of a Trifluraline Effluent by Means of Oxidation‐Coagulation with Fe(VI) and Combined Fenton Processes

The amination water (AW) effluent stream from the industrial production of the trifluraline herbicide was submitted to an oxidation‐coagulation treatment with potassium ferrate, combined with advanced oxidation processes. The experimental results obtained by analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the oxidation‐coagulation‐Fenton process, evaluating the variables pH (A), Fe(VI) concentration (B), and H₂O₂ concentration (C), demonstrated that the regression equation resulting from the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) experimental design, for the quadratic model, was η_Abs (%) = 36.9– 21.58A + 8.37A² + 1.36B + 0.92B² + 1.08C + 1.52C² + 1.27AB – 1.34AC + 1.33BC. The maximum absorptiometric color reduction occurred at pH 3, with corresponding maximum amounts of iron and hydrogen peroxide. The absorptiometric color and COD reduction were 96% and 57%, respectively. For the oxidation‐coagulation‐photo‐Fenton process, the analyzed variables were pH (A), Fe(VI) concentration (B), H₂O₂ concentration (C), and temperature (D). The regression equation resulting from the quadratic model was η_Abs (%) = 38.3 – 20.2A + 8.12A² – 0.27B + 3.73B² + 0.3C + 3.6C² + 1.67D + 3.1D² + 1.72AB + 0.51AC – 1.82AD + 0.74BC – 1.11BD + 0.03CD. The ANOVA response showed that the highest absorptiometric color reduction occurred at pH 3, with respective maximum amounts of iron and hydrogen peroxide at 60°C. The maximum efficiencies achieved by the proposed treatment process for the trifluraline effluent stream were 95% and 85%, for absorptiometric color and COD reduction, respectively.     

The lithospheric density structure of the Eastern Alps

The three-dimensional (3D) lithospheric density structure of the Eastern Alps was investigated by integrating results from reflection seismics, receiver function analyses and tomography. The modelling was carried out with respect to the Bouguer gravity and the geoid undulations and emphasis were laid on the investigations of the importance of deep lithospheric features. Although the influence of inhomogeneities at the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary on the potential field is not neglectable, they are overprinted by the response of the density contrast at the crust–mantle boundary and intra-crustal density anomalies. The uncertainties in the interpretations are in the same order of magnitude as the gravity field generated by the deep lithosphere.After including the deep lithospheric geometry from the tomographic model it is shown that full isostatic equilibrium is not achieved below the Eastern Alps. However, calculation of the isostatic lithospheric thickness shows two areas of lithospheric thickening along the central axis of the Eastern Alps with a transition zone below the area of the TRANSALP profile. This is in agreement with the tomographic model, which features a change in lithospheric subduction direction.     

Sector-zoned augite megacrysts in Aleutian high alumina basalts: implications for the conditions of basalt crystallization and the generation of calc-alkaline series magmas

Several high alumina basalts from the Aleutian volcanic centers of Cold Bay and Kanaga Island contain large (up to 1.5 cm diameter) megacrysts of sector-zoned augite. The megacrysts are invariably euhedral with well developed {001}, {010} and {111} forms. All crystals display concentric bands that are rich in mineral and glass inclusions. The sector zonation typically occurs as well developed (010), (100), (111) and (110) sectors which grew at different rates. A comparison of the width of synchronous growth bands indicates that following relative growth rates: (111) ≫ (100) ∼ (110) > (010). Compositionally, SiO₂ and MgO abundances decrease, and TiO₂, Al₂O₃, FeO and Na₂O abundances increase in the different sectors in the order (111), (100) ∼ (110), (010). This order is identical to that deduced for the relative growth rates, implying that growth rate clearly had a role in the development of the sector zonation. Calculated pre-eruption H₂O contents of the basalts range from 1 to 3 wt% but actual (measured) post-eruption H₂O contents range from 0.01 to 0.3 wt%. Deteurium isotopic values are heavily depleted and range from −110 to −141‰ . Together these indicate significant vapor (H₂O) exsolution prior to eruption. Maximum H₂O abundances in primitive glass inclusions, thought to be most representative of the host liquid reservoir at the time of melt entrapment, systematically decrease from the core to the rim of one augite megacryst studied in detail. We conclude that the presence of sector-zoned augite is due to augite supersaturation and rapid crystallization brought about by magma decompression and volatile (H₂O) exsolution. The calculated pre-eruption H₂O contents of 1–3 wt% limit vapor exsolution and basalt crystallization to depths of less than 3 and more likely 1.5 km. Very rapid crystallization at very shallow depths makes it unlikely that the time scales between initial crystallization and final eruption are sufficient to permit appreciable amounts of fractional crystallization. Given that high alumina basalt fractionation is the dominant process for generating more evolved andesite, dacite and rhyolite magmas of the calc-alkaline suite, the inability of parental high alumina basalt to yield such derivative magmas in the low pressure environment places the likely site of fractionation in the high pressure environment, at or near the base of the crust. Received: 1 December 1997 / Accepted: 23 December 1998     

Baguio Mineral District: An oceanic arc witness to the geological evolution of northern Luzon,Philippines

The Baguio Mineral District exposes rock formations that evince the geological and tectonic evolution of this district from a subduction‐related marginal basin to an island arc setting. Available onshore and offshore data are consistent with an Early (onset phase) to Middle (developed phase) Miocene arc polarity reversal from the east (termination of subduction along the proto‐East Luzon Trough) to the west (initiation of subduction along the Manila Trench). Geophysical modeling and geochemical data calculation showed a 30 ± 5 km crustal thickness for the mineral district. Subduction‐related multiple arc magmatism and ophiolite accretion contributed to crustal thickening. Recent information on the Oligo–Miocene Zigzag and Klondyke formations in the mineral district reveal that the marginal basin, where these rocks were deposited, has received eroded materials from adjacent terrains characterized by siliceous lithologies. Furthermore, adakitic rocks, high permeable zones and extensional zones which are exploration markers applied to identify possible mineralization targets, are prevalent in the mineral district. The geological evolution that the district had undergone mimics the evolution of island arcs worldwide in general and northern Luzon in particular.