Diagnosis of trace metal contamination in sediments: the example of Ensenada and El Sauzal, two harbors in Baja California, Mexico

Total metal concentrations in sediments from within Ensenada and El Sauzal Harbors are generally higher than at the mouths. Grain-size analyses suggested that this enrichment could be due to the presence of fine-grained sediments in the inner part of the harbors rather than to anthropogenic perturbations. The (Me/Al)(sample) ratios for Pb, Co, Ni and Fe were significantly higher for Ensenada Harbor relative to El Sauzal Harbor, whereas the ratios for Cd, Mn, Zn and Cu were statistically equivalent for both harbors. Calculated enrichment factors [EF(Me)=(Me/Al)(sample)/(Me/Al)(shale)] indicated that the metals showing slight enrichment were those associated with anthropogenic contamination (Pb, Zn), or probably related to primary productivity in the water column (Cd, Co). The levels of most of the metals were not greatly enriched, a consideration that is of the utmost importance when contamination issues are at stake.     

Einsteins' gravity with massive gravitons

Graviton may, in principle, have a small non-zero mass. In this paper the relevant theory of the massive graviton with six polarisations is developed. The drastic impact of a non-zero mass of the graviton on cosmology is also illustrated.     

Intercomparisons of earth gravity models by means of lumped coefficients: Terms for eccentricity and longitude

The comparisons of the Earth gravity field models by the order of their harmonic coefficients, performed with the basic lumped coefficients (Planet. Space Sci.29, 653, 1981, Paper I) are here extended to cover all harmonic coefficients (both odd and even degree). The lumped coefficients (the “e-terms” and “longitudinal” terms), corresponding to 18 Earth models, are compared mutually (Figs. 2–15). The large differences, observed for various models and orders, are of particular interest: they are gathered into Table 1. The result of Paper I was a little pessimistic. The same is true here: various inhomogeneities, sometimes very large, in the accuracy of the harmonic coefficients must exist—even for low orders. Most of our comments and objections, however, relate to the older Earth models, which have only a historical value now. Our comparisons are only relative ones; an actual test of the accuracy of the models (their calibration) is possible via data with independent status (Kloko?ník, 1982, 1983).     

Variability and propagation of Labrador Sea Water in the southern subpolar North Atlantic

The variability of two modes of Labrador Sea Water (LSW) (upper and deep Labrador Sea Water) and their respective spreading in the interior North Atlantic Ocean are investigated by means of repeated ship surveys carried out along the zonal WOCE line A2/AR19 located at 43–48°N (1993–2007) and along the GOOS line at about 48–51°N (1997–2002). Hydrographic section data are complemented by temperature, salinity, and velocity time series recorded by two moorings. They have been deployed at the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) in the Newfoundland Basin during 1996–2004. The analysis of hydrographic anomalies at various longitudes points to a gradual eastward propagation of LSW-related signals, which happens on time scales of 3–6 years from the formation region towards the MAR. Interactions of the North Atlantic Current (NAC) with the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) close to Flemish Cap point to the NAC being the main distributor of the different types of LSW into the interior of the Newfoundland Basin. Comparisons between the ship data and the mooring records revealed that the mooring sites are located in a region affected by highly variable flow. The mooring time series demonstrate an elevated level of variability with eddy activity and variability associated with the NAC considerably influencing the LSW signals in this region. Hydrographic data taken from Argo profiles from the vicinity of the mooring sites turned out to mimic quite well the temporal evolution captured by the moorings. There is some indication of occasional southward flow in the LSW layer near the MAR. If this can be considered as a hint to an interior LSW-route, it is at least of minor importance in comparison to the DWBC. It acts as an important supplier for the interior North Atlantic, distributing older and recently formed LSW modes southward along the MAR.     

Morphosedimentary features and recent depositional architectural model of the Cantabrian continental margin

Multibeam bathymetry, high (sleeve airguns) and very high resolution (parametric system-TOPAS-) seismic records were used to define the morphosedimentary features and investigate the depositional architecture of the Cantabrian continental margin. The outer shelf (down to 180–245 m water depth) displays an intensively eroded seafloor surface that truncates consolidated ancient folded and fractured deposits. Recent deposits are only locally present as lowstand shelf-margin deposits and a transparent drape with bedforms. The continental slope is affected by sedimentary processes that have combined to create the morphosedimentary features seen today. The upper (down to 2000 m water depth) and lower (down to 3700–4600 m water depth) slopes are mostly subject to different types of slope failures, such as slides, mass-transport deposits (a mix of slumping and mass-flows), and turbidity currents. The upper slope is also subject to the action of bottom currents (the Mediterranean Water — MW) that interact with the Le Danois Bank favouring the reworking of the sediment and the sculpting of a contourite system. The continental rise is a bypass region of debris flows and turbidity currents where a complex channel-lobe transition zone (CLTZ) of the Cap Ferret Fan develops.The recent architecture depositional model is complex and results from the remaining structural template and the great variability of interconnected sedimentary systems and processes. This margin can be considered as starved due to the great sediment evacuation over a relatively steep entire depositional profile. Sediment is eroded mostly from the Cantabrian and also the Pyrenees mountains (source) and transported by small stream/river mountains to the sea. It bypasses the continental shelf and when sediment arrives at the slope it is transported through a major submarine drainage system (large submarine valleys and mass-movement processes) down to the continental rise and adjacent Biscay Abyssal Plain (sink). Factors controlling this architecture are tectonism and sediment source/dispersal, which are closely interrelated, whereas sea-level changes and oceanography have played a minor role (on a long-term scale).     

Miocene extensional detachments in the outcropping basement of the northern Alboran Basin (Betics) and their tectonic implications

Whether or not there are extensional detachment faults in the Alboran basement can be tested directly because a part of the Alboran Basin is now emerged. These detachments, related to crustal thinning beneath the Alboran Basin, occurred from the Aquitanian to Tortonian. The resulting extensional geometries can be described in general terms. During the Serravalian a considerable southwest extension of the basin took place, accompanied by south-southeast extension in the northern Gibraltar Arc. Other detachments affected by Serravalian extension can be found. The spreading of the Alboran was nearly coeval with roughly westward migration of the Gibraltar mountain front.     

Stratigraphic framework of gas accumulations in the Ría de Pontevedra (NW Spain)

Knowledge of marine geological environments in which shallow gas is accumulating is becoming increasingly important in global studies of climate change because a measurable proportion of the total methane source comes from continental margins. Previous studies have revealed that coastal environments represent important geological environments where microbial methane is being generated, is accumulating, and is being released. In the Ría de Pontevedra, at least 4.5 km² of seafloor in the innermost part of the ría is underlain by sediments containing natural gas. Seismic interpretation contributes new findings for the definition of periods and geological environments in which the gas could have been generated, and is accumulating and released in the Ría de Pontevedra. Groundtruthing the seismic data (facies, environments) makes it possible to identify favourable geological environments for gas generation in the sedimentary infill of the Ría de Pontevedra. Sequence stratigraphy based on high-resolution seismic profiles and post-Last Glacial Maximum sea-level records makes it possible to establish the stratigraphic architecture of the ría and to define the periods in which gas could have been generated. The results of this study show that the sedimentary infill is composed of a fifth-order sequence developed since the Last Glacial Maximum. Within this sequence, gas appears to have accumulated in the Holocene deposits associated with the latest transgressive and highstand system tracts. Seismic analysis shows that gas could have been generated in different geological environments in the Ría de Pontevedra. If coastal environments at times of lower sea level were similar to those of the present, organic-rich mud deposits (deposited mainly in lakes, estuaries and floodplains) could have survived transgression and remained buried as potential gas sources in the inner part of the ría.     

Effects of waterborne nitrite on phase I-II biotransformation in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).

The effects of waterborne nitrite (3 mg/l NO2) on channel catfish were studied to evaluate changes in hematological parameters and phase I-II biotransformation in liver slices. Nitrite-exposed fish had significantly higher methemoglobin, blood and liver nitrite, and significantly lower pO2 than control fish. Total phase I-mediated metabolism of 7-ethoxycoumarin (EC) was not altered in nitrite-exposed fish compared with control fish (291 +/- 43 and 312 +/- 20 pmol/mg/h, respectively). However, phase II glucuronosyltransferase-mediated metabolism of 7-hydroxycoumarin (HC), both as a phase I metabolite of EC and as a parent substrate, was elevated in nitrite-exposed fish (204 +/- 17 and 1007 +/- 103 pmol/mg/h, respectively) as compared to control fish (149 +/- 14 and 735 +/- 87 pmol/mg/h) (P < 0.05). Sulfotransferase-mediated metabolism of HC (as a metabolite of EC and as a parent substrate) was not notably altered in nitrite-exposed fish (95 +/- 16 and 617 +/- 33 pmol/mg protein/h, respectively) as compared with control fish (118 +/- 24 and 575 +/- 55 pmol/mg/h, respectively). These studies indicate that in vivo nitrite exposure and associated changes in hematological parameters do not appear to affect hepatic phase I EC biotransformation in channel catfish. However, subtle but significant changes in phase II glucuronidation, but not sulfation activity, were observed. The mechanism of these alterations is unclear. However, the data suggest that environmentally realistic concentrations of nitrite may affect the dynamics of conjugative metabolism in exposed fish.     

Microscopy and rock magnetism of fine grain-size titanomagnetite from the Jacupiranga Alkaline Complex,Brazil: unearthing Ti-magnesioferrite nanoparticles

Very fine samples from the mineralized zones of the Jacupiranga complex at the Cajati mine were selected for crystallographic identification of Ti-magnesioferrite (TMf) nanostructures embedded in titanomagnetite (TM) using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A magnetic concentrate obtained of pyroxenite samples (sites 4 to 7) was reduced and divided into fractions of distinct range sizes: 26±2 μm, 19±1 μm, 13±1 μm, 9±1 μm, 6±1 μm and 6-0.1 μm. The mineralized samples of carbonatite and pyroxenite were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmitted and reflected light microscope, and scanning electron microscope with multielemental analysis. The finest magnetic concentrate sample (MC₆) was analyzed under high-resolution transmitted electron microscopy (TEM) and high angle annular dark field and Raman spectroscopy. Magnetic properties were measured for the distinct granulometric fractions, showing drastic changes when grain sizes go beyond the frontier from micro to nanometer sizes. Frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility percentage (÷_fd%) report higher values (10.2%) for the finer fractions (6±1 μm and 6-0.1 μm) attributed to dominant fractions of superparamagnetic particles. Nanometer and < 6 μm grain size TMf in TM particles require a magnetic field up to 249 mT to reach saturation during the isothermal remanent magnetization experiment. Coercivity and remanent magnetization of these samples increase when the particle size decreases, probably due to parallel coupling effects. Magnetic susceptibility versus temperature experiments were conducted two times on the same (< 35 nm) sample, showing that the repetition during the second heating is probably due to the formation of new TMf nanoparticles and growth of those already present during the first heating process.     

Environmental determinants of leech assemblage patterns in lotic and lenitic habitats

Leeches (Clitellata: Hirudinida) are abundant predators or ecto-parasites inhabiting various freshwater habitats; however many biotic and abiotic drivers of their assemblage patterns have been deduced rather than directly tested. To study species richness and composition changes in leech assemblages, 109 sites of running and stagnant water bodies were sampled in three regions of the Czech Republic in 2007–2010, together with several explanatory variables that are known or expected to be important predictors of leech distribution. In total, 17 species of leeches were recorded, varying between 0–7 and 0–9 species in lotic and lenitic sites, respectively. These differences in species richness of lotic and lenitic sites were highly significant, contrary to the abundances, which varied between 0–283 and 0–295 individuals. The main change in species composition was controlled by water temperature and morphological characteristics (e.g. substrate and cover of macrophytes), mostly reflecting the differences between lotic and lenitic habitats. We found the density of benthos (i.e. prey availability) to be the best predictor of species composition in both lotic and lenitic sites, together with the percentage of canopy cover. However, the other significant predictors (i.e. the substrate and water conductivity found to be significant in lotic sites, and the mean annual temperature and PO₄^3? in lenitic sites), differed between these habitats. Other than mean annual temperature and water temperature, which had different effects on species richness in lotic and lenitic sites, there were no other differences between lotic and lenitic sites in terms of how species richness and abundance responded to all other analyzed predictors. Our results stress the importance of prey availability and canopy for leech distribution patterns. Differences in the significant predictors of leech assemblage patterns between lotic and lenitic sites raise fundamental questions about the underlying mechanisms and ecological constraints to leech distribution in these main types of aquatic systems.