Effects of climate, invasive species and anthropogenic impacts on the growth of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile in Liguria (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Eight shallow water Posidonia oceanica meadows were sampled in June 1999 along 300 km of the Ligurian coast and were compared through shoot density and lepidochronology. The growth of the seagrass was examined in the light of climate fluctuations and local stresses, colonisation by alien, invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia, and effects of the oil spill from the tanker "Haven", and other anthropogenic impacts. Both shoot density and lepidochronology pointed to a generalised state of regression of all the meadows. The analysis of long-term growth curves of the rhizomes showed a positive trend parallel to the increase of air temperature. Two main groups of meadows were individuated on the basis of growth curve similarity. The first included four meadows, namely Ventimiglia, Imperia, Noli and Prelo, that were characterised by average values of rhizome growth of 8-9.1 mmyear(-1) and shoot density greater than 200 shootsm(-2). Although the Imperia meadow was the only one where the alien invasive alga C. taxifolia was found, it did not show differences for rhizome growth in comparison to the other meadows. The second group was formed by meadows that had suffered past anthropogenic impacts: Arenzano and Monterosso al Mare. They showed higher rhizome growth rates (9.4-10.6 mmyear(-1)) and shoot densities between 200 and 100 shootsm(-2). At Arenzano, where "Haven" oil was stranded in April 1991, no rhizome older than 8 years was found, thus confirming the shoot mortality induced by the oil spill event. The two last meadows exhibited growth curves very different from all the others: Portovenere, is a shallow meadow where P. oceanica merely survives in an extremely degraded situation with highest rhizome growth rate (12 mmyear(-1)), the other, Riva Trigoso, is the only meadow implanted on rock and had the lowest growth rates (7.1 mm year(-1)).     

Comparative soil CO2 flux measurements and geostatistical estimation methods on Masaya volcano, Nicaragua

We present a comparative study of soil CO₂ flux () measured by five groups (Groups 1–5) at the IAVCEI-CCVG Eighth Workshop on Volcanic Gases on Masaya volcano, Nicaragua. Groups 1–5 measured using the accumulation chamber method at 5-m spacing within a 900 m² grid during a morning (AM) period. These measurements were repeated by Groups 1–3 during an afternoon (PM) period. Measured ranged from 218 to 14,719 g m⁻² day⁻¹. The variability of the five measurements made at each grid point ranged from ±5 to 167%. However, the arithmetic means of fluxes measured over the entire grid and associated total CO₂ emission rate estimates varied between groups by only ±22%. All three groups that made PM measurements reported an 8–19% increase in total emissions over the AM results. Based on a comparison of measurements made during AM and PM times, we argue that this change is due in large part to natural temporal variability of gas flow, rather than to measurement error. In order to estimate the mean and associated CO₂ emission rate of one data set and to map the spatial distribution, we compared six geostatistical methods: arithmetic and minimum variance unbiased estimator means of uninterpolated data, and arithmetic means of data interpolated by the multiquadric radial basis function, ordinary kriging, multi-Gaussian kriging, and sequential Gaussian simulation methods. While the total CO₂ emission rates estimated using the different techniques only varied by ±4.4%, the maps showed important differences. We suggest that the sequential Gaussian simulation method yields the most realistic representation of the spatial distribution of , but a variety of geostatistical methods are appropriate to estimate the total CO₂ emission rate from a study area, which is a primary goal in volcano monitoring research.Editorial responsibility: H Shinohara     

SEM–EDS analysis of western Mediterranean obsidians: a new tool for Neolithic provenance studies

The contents of Na, Al, Si, K, Ca and Fe of 99 obsidians from the western Mediterranean islands of Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria and Sardinia were determined with the energy-dispersive spectrometer of a scanning electron microscope (SEM–EDS). The Na and in a lesser way other elements contents characterize any obsidian source-island. In Sardinia (80 samples), the four Monte Arci obsidian geochemical types can be discriminated from binary diagrams of element contents or by a discriminant analysis based on the six elements measured. It is concluded that SEM–EDS offers a new option for Neolithic obsidian provenance studies in this region. To cite this article: F.-X. Le Bourdonnec et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Pliocene and Pleistocene magnetic stratigraphy in Le Castella area,Southern Italy—A preliminary report

A preliminary study was made of the magnetic stratigraphy of the Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene marine sediments in Le Castella area, Calabria, Southern Italy. Microbiostratigraphic evidence of the measured sediments provides a basis for tentative correlation with the standard magnetic chronology. The Gilsa Event in the Matuyama Reversed Polarity Epoch is estimated to be a little older than the lower limit of the Calabrian in Le Castella area.     

Geochemistry of hydrothermal deposits from Loihi submarine volcano,Hawaii

Dredging across the northeast rim of the summit crater of Loihi Seamount recovered several morphologically similar but chemically and mineralogically distinct hydrothermal deposits encrusting the surface of fresh pillow lava talus. The multicolored deposits suggest a precipitation sequence that may be controlled by an oxidation-reduction gradient in which smectite ranging in composition from Fe-montmorillonite to nontronite has precipitated along with iron oxide under slightly reducing conditions. This deposition was apparently followed by amorphous iron oxide and silica precipitation, possibly under more oxic conditions. Oxygen isotope geothermometry indicates formation temperatures in the range of 31–57°C for the Loihi smectites. Trace element enrichments appear to be positively correlated with the isotopic formation temperature of the smectite, suggesting either increased trace element solubility within the higher-temperature vent fluids or increased smectite and iron oxide scavenging with increased precipitation rates. The trace element abundances further suggest the presence of polymetallic sulfides that either are directly associated with the smectites as amorphous phases or occur beneath these deposits in the volcanic pile of the seamount.     

Climate change and warm‐water species at the north‐western boundary of the Mediterranean Sea

The effects of global change are particularly serious in areas where range shifts of species are physically constrained such as the Ligurian Sea, which is one of the coldest sectors of the Mediterranean. In this basin, historical information on water temperature (from the sea surface down to 75 m depth) dates back to the 1950s. Early studies also recorded warm‐water species occurrence. Thanks to these data we provide the first detailed characterization of water temperature variation from 1958 up to 2010 in the layer 0–75 m depth. We coupled this analysis with the available information on rocky reef epibenthic communities (literature review from 1955 to 1964 and field data from 1980 to 2010). The analysis of water temperature revealed several patterns of variation: a cooling phase from 1958 to 1980, a phase of rapid warming from 1980 to 1990 and a phase of slower warming from 1990 to 2010. Inter‐annual variation in temperature increased over the entire period for the water layer down to 20 m. Warm‐water native and alien species richness increased during the warming phases. Literature estimates suggest a decrease in warm‐water native species richness during the cooling phase. The analysis of quantitative data collected in the early 1990s and late 2000s indicated a decrease in the cover of warm‐water native species on shallow rocky reefs and an increase in deeper waters. We argue that increased inter‐annual variation in water temperature may disadvantage native warm‐water species in shallow waters. Our results indicate that the effect of temperature rises in cold, constrained basins may be more complex than the simple prediction of species changing their geographical range according to their thermal limits.     

The origin of Lake Cheko and the 1908 Tunguska Event recorded by forest trees

Several lines of evidence indicate that Cheko, a small lake close to the epicentre of the 1908 Tunguska Event (TE), fills a crater left behind by a fragment of the Tunguska Cosmic Body that impacted the ground downrange of the main explosion. It is thought that over 80 million trees were flattened or burnt as a consequence of the TE. However, a small number of trees in the devastated area survived the explosion and recorded in their growth‐ring patterns the environmental changes that followed this event. Some of those trees were found around Lake Cheko, ~10 km NW of the inferred TE epicentre. We analysed new data from the floor of Lake Cheko, including seismic‐reflection profiles, side‐scan sonar and video images, as well as dendrochronological evidence in tree samples collected along the shores, to test the hypothesis of a 1908 formation of the lake.     

Building damage assessment after the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Riviera del Brenta</Emphasis> tornado,northeast Italy

A tornado with severe intensity hit the municipalities of Pianiga, Dolo and Mira close to Venice, northeast Italy, causing damages on a wide number of residential and industrial buildings and destroying some historical villas. In this study, the authors show the results of the damage assessment survey performed in the first days after the occurrence of the extreme event. Limited literature deals with damage assessment of European building types due to wind actions, and the available one does not consider building vulnerability as key factor in the structural response of existing structures subject to tornado hazard. In this paper, structural damages surveyed in reinforced concrete frame structures and masonry buildings, representative of common Italian building types, are critically discussed. Additionally, this work provides a database of past tornado events in northeast Italy, evidencing how the analyzed area has been found to be quite prone to tornado hazard.     

Preliminary geochemical characterization of groundwater drained by the Roman emissary of Lake Albano (Italy)

Many lakes have been the object of hydraulic works in historical times, and the drainage tunnel carved by Romans for regulating the level of Lake Albano (Central Italy) can be considered as one of the most important historical hydraulic tunnels in the world. We sampled and analysed lake water, as well as groundwater samples from the Lake Albano emissary and another hydraulic work in the area (Ninfeo), which were analysed for their geochemical and isotopic composition in order to extract useful information for a possible reuse of the tunnel for anthropogenic purposes. The collected water samples exhibit common chemical features, typical of water–rock interaction processes in volcanic areas. Analyses of minor and trace elements confirmed the abovementioned results, indicating the presence of an atmospheric pollution source for heavy metals, although their concentrations are mostly below the Maximum Admitted Concentrations for drinking water issued by the World Health Organization. The chemical composition of dissolved gases indicated that both lake and groundwater are mainly enriched in CO₂. Isotopic analyses suggested a clear volcanic origin for CO₂ dissolved in lake water, while carbon dioxide in groundwater from the Roman emissary is produced by soil respiration. As further confirmed by Oxygen and Deuterium isotopic composition, the Roman emissary drains local suspended aquifers neither in contact with the lake water body nor influenced by volcanic activity, suggesting the opportunity to use the tunnel as a “zero-condition” monitoring site for individuating a possible future renewal of volcanic activity.