Composition and distribution of beach debris in Orange County, California

Many studies have quantified debris collected on beaches around the world. Only a few of those studies have been conducted in the United States, and they are largely limited to semi-quantitative efforts performed as part of volunteer clean-up activities. This study quantifies the distribution and composition of beach debris by sampling 43 stratified random sites on the Orange County, California coast, from August to September 1998. We estimated that approximately 106 million items, weighing 12 metric tons, occur on Orange County beaches. The most abundant items were pre-production plastic pellets, foamed plastics, and hard plastics. Debris density on the remote rocky shoreline was greater than that on high-use sandy beaches for most debris items. This finding partially reflects the periodic clean-up of high-use beaches by local municipalities, and also indicates that a high percentage of the observed debris was transported to the site from waterborne sources.     

ENCORE: the effect of nutrient enrichment on coral reefs. Synthesis of results and conclusions

Coral reef degradation resulting from nutrient enrichment of coastal waters is of increasing global concern. Although effects of nutrients on coral reef organisms have been demonstrated in the laboratory, there is little direct evidence of nutrient effects on coral reef biota in situ. The ENCORE experiment investigated responses of coral reef organisms and processes to controlled additions of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N) and/or phosphorus (P) on an offshore reef (One Tree Island) at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. A multi-disciplinary team assessed a variety of factors focusing on nutrient dynamics and biotic responses. A controlled and replicated experiment was conducted over two years using twelve small patch reefs ponded at low tide by a coral rim. Treatments included three control reefs (no nutrient addition) and three + N reefs (NH4Cl added), three + P reefs (KH2PO4 added), and three + N + P reefs. Nutrients were added as pulses at each low tide (ca twice per day) by remotely operated units. There were two phases of nutrient additions. During the initial, low-loading phase of the experiment nutrient pulses (mean dose = 11.5 microM NH4+; 2.3 microM PO4(-3)) rapidly declined, reaching near-background levels (mean = 0.9 microM NH4+; 0.5 microM PO4(-3)) within 2-3 h. A variety of biotic processes, assessed over a year during this initial nutrient loading phase, were not significantly affected, with the exception of coral reproduction, which was affected in all nutrient treatments. In Acropora longicyathus and A. aspera, fewer successfully developed embryos were formed, and in A. longicyathus fertilization rates and lipid levels decreased. In the second, high-loading, phase of ENCORE an increased nutrient dosage (mean dose = 36.2 microM NH4+; 5.1 microM PO4(-3)) declining to means of 11.3 microM NH4+ and 2.4 microM PO4(-3) at the end of low tide) was used for a further year, and a variety of significant biotic responses occurred. Encrusting algae incorporated virtually none of the added nutrients. Organisms containing endosymbiotic zooxanthellae (corals and giant clams) assimilated dissolved nutrients rapidly and were responsive to added nutrients. Coral mortality, not detected during the initial low-loading phase, became evident with increased nutrient dosage, particularly in Pocillopora damicornis. Nitrogen additions stunted coral growth, and phosphorus additions had a variable effect. Coral calcification rate and linear extension increased in the presence of added phosphorus but skeletal density was reduced, making corals more susceptible to breakage. Settlement of all coral larvae was reduced in nitrogen treatments, yet settlement of larvae from brooded species was enhanced in phosphorus treatments. Recruitment of stomatopods, benthic crustaceans living in coral rubble, was reduced in nitrogen and nitrogen plus phosphorus treatments. Grazing rates and reproductive effort of various fish species were not affected by the nutrient treatments. Microbial nitrogen transformations in sediments were responsive to nutrient loading with nitrogen fixation significantly increased in phosphorus treatments and denitrification increased in all treatments to which nitrogen had been added. Rates of bioerosion and grazing showed no significant effects of added nutrients. ENCORE has shown that reef organisms and processes investigated in situ were impacted by elevated nutrients. Impacts were dependent on dose level, whether nitrogen and/or phosphorus were elevated and were often species-specific. The impacts were generally sub-lethal and subtle and the treated reefs at the end of the experiment were visually similar to control reefs. Rapid nutrient uptake indicates that nutrient concentrations alone are not adequate to assess nutrient condition of reefs. Sensitive and quantifiable biological indicators need to be developed for coral reef ecosystems. The potential bioindicators identified in ENCORE should be tested in future research on coral reef/nutrient interactions. Synergistic and cumulative effects of elevated nutrients and other environmental parameters, comparative studies of intact vs. disturbed reefs, offshore vs. inshore reefs, or the ability of a nutrient-stressed reef to respond to natural disturbances require elucidation. An expanded understanding of coral reef responses to anthropogenic impacts is necessary, particularly regarding the subtle, sub-lethal effects detected in the ENCORE studies.     

Lysosomal membrane stability and metallothioneins in digestive gland of Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.) as biomarkers in a field study

The lysosomal membrane destabilization and the metallothionein content in the digestive gland cells of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.), collected along the east coast of the North Adriatic (Istrian and Kvarnerine coast, Croatia), were examined over a period of four years (1996–1999). The lysosomal membrane stability, as a biomarker of general stress, showed that the membrane labilization period in mussels from polluted, urban- and industrial-related areas was significantly decreased (p<0.05) when compared to mussels from control, clean sea water sites. In the harbour of Rijeka, the most contaminated site, the lysosomal membrane stability was reduced by more than 70% compared to the control. This method also proved to be a useful biomarker for detection of additional stress caused by short-term hypoxia that occurred once during this study inside the polluted and periodically quite eutrophic Pula Harbour. The concentration of metallothioneins in the mussel digestive gland, as a specific biomarker of exposure to heavy metals, did not reveal significant differences (p<0.05) between sites covered by this study.     

Marine risk assessment: linear alkylbenzenesulponates (LAS) in the North Sea

The fate of linear alkylbenzenesulponates (LAS) in estuaries and coastal areas of the North Sea has been characterized with simple environmental models. The predicted concentration range in the estuaries around the North Sea (0.9-9 microg LAS l(-1)) was validated by monitoring data (1-9 microg LAS l(-1)). In offshore sites of the North Sea, it is estimated--and experimentally verified for a few sites--that the LAS concentration is below analytical detection limit (i.e., 0.5 microg LAS l(-1)). The effects of LAS on marine organisms have been reviewed. For short-term acute tests, there was no significant difference (p = 0.83) between the mean LC50 values of freshwater and marine organisms (mainly pelagic species tested, 4.1 and 4.3 mg LAS l(-1), respectively). For longer-term chronic tests, it appeared that the sensitivity (mean no-observed effect concentration (NOEC) value) of marine and freshwater organisms (0.3 and 2.3 mg LAS l(-1), respectively) was significantly different pt-test = 0.007). The predicted no-effect-concentrations (PNEC) were 360 and 31 microg LAS l(-1), for freshwater and marine pelagic communities, respectively. Given that the maximum expected estuarine and marine concentrations are 3 to > 30 times lower than the PNEC, the risk of LAS to pelagic organisms in these environments is judged to be low.     

流体在大陆裂谷附近下地壳地震中的作用

在大陆裂谷附近的下地壳中发生地震一直令人费解,这是因为人们一般认为下地壳太热,不会发生脆性破裂(Ruff,2004;Chen and Molnar,1983)。这类异常事件通常被解释为下地壳温度低于正常值(Doserand Yarwood,1994;Shudofskyet al,1987)。但是如果下地壳温度确实低以致引发地震,那么它下面的上地幔温度也应足够低(Chenand Molnar,1983),然而我们至今尚未观测到上地幔地震(McKenzieet al,2005)。大量下地壳地震发生在新西兰的一个活动大陆裂谷———陶波火山区(TVZ)的西南端附近(Sherburn and White,2005)。在此,我们采用由密集部署的地震…     

镍锗尖晶石位错域的高温蠕变实验研究

利用人工合成的多晶材料研究了镍锗尖晶石在位错域的高温蠕变性质.多晶材料的颗粒尺寸约8μm.单轴压缩试件为圆柱状,使用气体介质围压筒.常压蠕变试验过程中,围压为300MPa,温度为1373-1523K,应力在55-330MPa范围内.从实验结果得出了镍锗尖晶石在位错域的流动律,应力指数n=29±01,表明流动的微观机制为位错蠕变.与其他尖晶石进行对比可以发现一个力学同构群,虽然在正尖晶石和反尖晶石之间存在一定的差异.在位错蠕变域,尖晶石与橄榄石归一化的强度类似.由于尖晶石的剪切模量比橄榄石高50%,其实际强度也比橄榄石高.将橄榄石和尖晶石的蠕变数据外推到地球内部条件时,由于其高应力指数,橄榄石则有可能比尖晶石的强度高.     

足尺磁流变阻尼器的建模及动态特性

在过去三十年左右的时间里,结构保护系统受到了广大研究者的普遍关注.这种保护系统可以用来降低自然灾害(如地震、强风)对上木工程建筑的损害.由于磁流变阻尼器机械结构简单,动态范围大,能耗低,回复力大,鲁棒性良好,能够在满足不同工程项目需求的同时提供有效的结构抗震抗风手段,目前它是一种非常有前途的半主动结构减震装置.本文首先介绍了磁流变液体和装置的主要特性和优点,建立了磁流变阻尼器的伪静力轴对称模型,并将其结果和平行板模型以及阻尼器实验结果进行了比较.尽管伪静力模型对于阻尼器的设计十分有效,但是它们还不足以描述阻尼器的动态特性.对实际工程应用来说,动态响应时间是一项非常重要的性能指标.文章还讨论了影响磁流变阻尼器动态响应时间的因素,建立了基于Bouc-Wen模型的阻尼器动态模型.同时文章也提出了优化阻尼器动态响应的途径和方法以及其实验验证.     

中国西南天山山前的晚新生代构造与地震活动

天山是研究现今陆内造山作用及过程、陆内变形、陆内强震及其预测等大陆动力学问题的理想实验场。西南天山和塔里木之间的新生代褶皱－逆断裂带基本上由一南冲弧形推覆构造系统和一向北反冲的构造系统组成，由北而南主要由以下4个运动学单元组成：（1）新生代复活的喀拉铁热克山－天山南脉古生代造山带，其快速变形和抬升可能起始于23－26Ma前，持续至13－16Ma前。（2）向南逆冲的西南天山前陆薄皮主冲断带，包括木兹杜克弧形薄皮推覆体和依柯冲断带，前者代表了向南薄皮逆掩的天山型岩系，地表主要表现为一系列的飞来峰群，在14Ma前曾有过大规模活动，最小缩短量约为20－35km，最小缩短速率为1．4－2．8mm/a；后者代表了向南叠瓦状薄皮逆冲推覆的前陆古生代基底（塔里木地台型沉积岩系）卷入构造，其西段在距今14Ma时曾有过强烈活动。两者共同组成了一复杂的双重构造；新生代地层也卷入变形。（3）喀什－阿图什弧形反冲褶皱－逆断裂带，由3排向北（天山）反冲的左阶雁列展布的第四纪地表滑脱褶皱组成，仅在大山口以西发育。该构造带形成于距今约1．4Ma以后。依什拉克喀拉乌尔断裂以南，博古孜河剖面的最小缩短速率约为5．8mm/a，翁库尔剖面的最小缩短速率约为8．6mm/a。（4）塔里木克拉通下盘块体，向北西方向缓倾，内部变形较小。里木块体西北存在明显的不均匀性，其学问基底高角度逆断裂和走滑断裂控制了盆地新生代沉积的厚度，导致西南天山前陆冲断带的地形地貌、地层、构造变形样式、变形时间以及变形缩短量沿走向的巨大差异性。迈丹－喀拉铁克断裂和阿图什断裂带均为岩石圈规模断裂，研究区的中强地震主要发生在这两条断裂带以及它们之间的西南天山前陆冲断带上。     

论硅酸盐晶体结构中配位多面体的功能性替代

硅酸盐的比较晶体化学研究表明,在某些含钛（锆）的硅酸盐的晶体结构中,有Ti—O（Zr-O）八面体和四方单锥对Si-O四面体的功能性替代现象存在.因此它们可以称为钛硅酸盐和锆硅酸盐.比较方石英与钙钛矿、长石与石榴石的晶体结构,情况类似,也表明存在四面体SiO4（AlO4）被八面体SiO6（AlO6）功能性替代的现象.作为一个新概念,提出了配位多面体功能性替代以利对比有关的晶体结构.     

EFFECTIVE DISCHARGE CALCULATION GUIDE

1 mTRonvcnox: moareS Aun CoxcmSAJluvial rivers have the pOtenhal to adjust their shaPe and dimensions to all flows that tranSPOrtsediment, but Inglis (l94l) suggested that, for rivers that are in regime, a single steady flow could beidenhfied which would Produce the same bankfll dimensions as the natural sequence of events. Hereferrd to this now as the dondnan discharge.Wolman and Mller (l960) idenhfied that the flow doing most bed material transPort over a period ofyears may be taken tO…