Specific-lon electrode determinations of sulfide preconcentrated from San Francisco Bay waters

Measurements of low-level dissolved-sulfide concentrations in estuarine water from San Francisco Bay have been made using the sulfide-specific electrode after preservation, separation, and preconcentration of the sulfide species. The separation and preconcentration were acheived by coprecipitation of ZnS with Zn(OH)₂ followed by collection and dissolution of the precipitate, giving concentration factors up to 160-fold Preconcentration provided sulfide solutions that were adequately measurable within the practical working range of the specific-ion electrode The sulfide detection limit with the preconcentration step is 0 02 μg/l Spike recoveries in the range of 81 to 10 1% have been achieved for laboratory-prepared samples having S²⁻ concentrations as low as 0 6 μg/l and 84 to 100% for an estuarine sample spiked in the field with 2 μg/l (S(−II) Positive correlations have been found between dissolved S(−II) concentrations and concentrations of dissolved Cd, Cu, and Ni, negative correlations have been found between bisulfide (HS⁻) activity and activities of Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ag⁺ species     

Boundary skin friction and sediment transport about an animal-tube mimic

ABSTRACT
A flume study was made of fluid flow, boundary skin friction, and sediment transport about an animal-tube mimic. The effect of a tube on momentum transfer depends most strongly on its height. A tube increases the net boundary skin friction locally and tends to promote sediment entrainment near its base. Flow in this region appears to be governed by the same similarity laws that apply to cylinders with much larger body Reynolds number. Particles travelling as suspended load may be deposited immediately downstream of the tube. The net sedimentological effect of any tube (i.e. deposition or scour) will depend both on its height and on the boundary shear stress imposed by the external flow. The near-wake region of a tube is dominated by a strong cross-stream exchange of momentum. Wake perturbations decay downstream seemingly in accordance with similarity laws which also govern mounted, two-dimensional structures.     

Provincialism and correlations between some properties of vitrinites

Optical and chemical properties for hand-picked samples of vitrinite from a number of British coalfields are correlated and the correlations compared with previously published data. The form of the relationship found for the properties of British vitrinites is generally similar to that exhibited by a number of other sets of analyses, but some significant differences also exist in several of the correlations. For maximum reflectance as a function of carbon content, the present data indicate that at medium and low ranks, maximum reflectance is lower than the level suggested by most previous studies. The relationships of volatile-matter yield to reflectance and carbon content suggest that at low ranks, volatile-matter yield is strongly dependent upon the nature of the coalification history of the vitrinite. Furthermore, these correlations are likely to show provincialism, in that correlations which hold for one coalfield may not be representative of the relationship in other coalfields. Similarly, major differences in relationships involving bireflectance are associated with the tectonic setting at the time of effective coalification. The data presented here indicate that for low-rank coals at least, correlations between properties of vitrinites must take account of provincialism if they are to be sufficiently reliable to be useful. The measurement of a number of rank-sensitive variables can yield additional information about rank, as compared with the use of a single rank-sensitive variable.     

Thermodynamic stability studies of the basic copper carbonate mineral,malachite

Natural malachite is a well defined solid demonstrating reproducible solubility behavior over a wide range of pH. The following equilibrium constants associated with the malachite dissolution equilibrium at 25°C, 1 atm were determined:

(infinite dilution)

$\text{K}{}^1{}_{\mathrm{sp}}\text{=}\text{[Cu}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{]}{}^2\text{[CO}{}^{\mathrm{2?}}{}_3\text{]K}{}^2{}_{\mathrm{w}}\text{a}{}^2{}_{\mathrm{H+}}\text{= 10. ± 0.2 × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?32}}$

(0.72 ionic strength)

(36.9‰ salinity seawater). The temperature dependence of a “mixed” equilibrium constant, K_sp⁺, of the form:

has been measured at I = 0.72, yielding the relationship:

$\text{log K}{}^2{}_{\mathrm{sp}}\text{= (? 9.8 ± 0.03) × 10}{}^4\text{(}\text{1}\text{T°K}\text{) + (1.52 ± 0.09)}$

within a 5–25°C temperature range. The effect of pressure on the solubility of malachite in water and seawater was estimated from partial molar volume and compressibility data. For 25 °C at infinite dilution $\text{K'}{}_{\mathrm{sp}}\text{(1000 bar)}\text{K'}{}_{\mathrm{sp}}\text{(0)}\text{= 240}$ and in seawater $\text{K′}{}_{\mathrm{sp}}\text{(1000)}\text{K'}{}_{\mathrm{sp}}\text{(0)}\text{= 44}$.Comparison of stoichiometric and apparent malachite equilibrium constants has been used to estimate the extent of copper(II) ion interaction at the ionic strength of seawater. In dilute carbonate medium (total alkalinity, TA = 2.4 meq/kg H₂O, pH 8.3), 2.9% of total dissolved copper exists as the free copper(II) ion and in seawater (S = 36.9%., TA = 2.3 meq/kg H₂O, pH = 8.1), $\text{[Cu}{}^{\mathrm{2+}}\text{]}\text{T(Cu)}$ is 3.1%.Total dissolved copper levels of approximately 450–750 nMol/Kg are necessary to attain malachite saturation conditions in the open ocean. Observations of malachite particles suspended in seawater must be explained by precipitation or solid phase substitution reactions from localized environments rather than by direct precipitation from bulk seawater.     

Geochemistry of Archean metasedimentary rocks from West Greenland

Archean metasedimentary rocks occur as components of the Isua supracrustals, Akilia association and Malene supracrustals of southern West Greenland. Primary structures in these rocks have been destroyed by metamorphism and deformation. Their chemistry and mineralogy is consistent with a sedimentary origin, but other possible parents (e.g. acid volcanics, altered pyroclastic rocks) cannot be excluded for some of them. There is little difference in the composition of metasedimentary rocks from the early Archean Isua supracrustals and probable correlative Akilia association. Both have a wide range in rare earth element (REE) patterns with $\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{Yb}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$ ranging from 0.61?5.8. The REE pattern of one Akilia sample, with low $\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{Yb}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$, compares favourably with that of associated tholeiites and it is likely that such samples were derived almost exclusively from basaltic sources. Other samples with very steep REE patterns are similar to felsic volcanic boulders found in a conglomeratic unit in the Isua supracrustals. Samples with intermediate REE patterns are best explained by mixing of basaltic and felsic end members. Metasedimentary rocks from the Malene supracrustals can be divided into low silica (≤55% SiO₂) and high silica (>77% SiO₂) varieties. These rocks also show much variation in $\text{La}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{Yb}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$ (0.46?14.0) and their origin is explained by derivation from a mixture of mafic volcanics and felsic igneous rocks. The wide range in trace element characteristics of these metasedimentary rocks argues for inefficient mixing of the various source lithologies during sedimentation. Accordingly, these data do not rigorously test models of early Archean crustal composition and evolution. The systematic variability in trace element geochemistry provides evidence for the bimodal nature of the early Archean crust.     

Context and environment in taphonomic analysis: Examples from Alaska's Porcupine River Caves

Field investigations of caves along Alaska's Porcupine River document three major mechanisms which modify bone in patterns similar to alterations produced by man: (1) carnivore fracture; (2) rodent gnawing; and (3) rock fall and rubble scarring. A late Wisconsin faunal assemblage composed of Equus sp., Rangifer tarandus, Ovis dalli, Bison sp., proboscidean, numerous small mammal species, birds, and fish is well documented. This faunal assemblage suggests a mosaic environment of grassland-tundra-forest in the immediate vicinity of these caves and implies that the late Wisconsin environment in north-central Alaska may have been characterized by a number of microenvironments and colder, dryer, steppe conditions. Taphonomic data which have historically been interpreted to support human occupation of eastern Beringia during the Pleistocene are critically examined and the context of these discoveries (not the specimens themselves) provides the test essential to document the antiquity of man in North America prior to 12,000 yr ago.     

Late Quaternary sapropel sediments in the eastern Mediterranean Sea: Faunal variations and chronology

Distinctive planktonic foraminiferal assemblages which characterize particular late Quaternary sapropel layers in deep basin sediments from the eastern Mediterranean Sea have been identified using cluster analysis. Three distinct clusters allow for identification and intercore correlation of the nine sapropels deposited during the last 250,000 yr. Cluster 1, representing sapropel layers S1 and S9, exhibits low abundances of Neogloboquadrina dutertrei and high abundances of Globigerinoides ruber; Cluster 2, which groups S3, S5, and S7, contains high abundances of G. ruber, N. dutertrei, and Globigerina bulloides, and Cluster 3, which includes samples from S4, S6, and S8, is marked by extremely abundant N. dutertrei and G. bulloides, and rare G. ruber. Analysis of sedimentation rates in 14 cores reveals the following approximate ages for the sapropel layers: S2 = 52,000 yr B.P.; S3 = 81,000–78,000 yr B.P.; S4 = 100,000–98,000 yr B.P.; and S5 = 125,000–116,000 yr B.P. As previously suggested, sedimentation rates on the Mediterranean Ridge were determined to be relatively constant during the last 127,000 yr. In contrast, basin sedimentation rates have fluctuated markedly from lower rates during interglacial stage 5 to higher rates during the last glacial episode. These glacial/interglacial differences are most pronounced in the northern Ionian Basin, because of increased terrigenous sediment deposition during glacial episodes. Unusually high biogenic sedimentation rates occurred in an arc south of Crete during the deposition of sapropel S5, probably due to higher productivity in this region.     

Characteristics of vertical turbulent velocities in the urban convective boundary layer

Turbulence measurements of the vertical velocity component were obtained by an instrumented aircraft under fair weather conditions in the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitan area. Time series of vertical velocity fluctuations from horizontal flight segments made in the lower part of and near the middle of the convective boundary layer (CBL) over the urban area and surrounding region were subjected to various statistical and objective analyses. Higher order vertical velocity moments, and positive and negative velocity statistics, were computed. The horizontal dimensions of updrafts and downdrafts, and related properties of these turbulent eddies were derived by conditional sampling analysis. Emphasis is on a comparison of the results from urban and selected rural measurements from the lower part of the CBL.The vertical velocity probability density distribution for each segment was positively skewed and the mode was negative. The means and standard deviations of positive and negative velocity fluctuations were greater over the urban area. The urban vertical velocity variance was 50% greater than rural values, and power spectra revealed greater production of vertical turbulent energy in the urban area over a wide frequency range.The mean and maximum widths of downdrafts were generally larger than the corresponding values for updrafts. Differences between urban and rural eddy sizes were not statistically significant. The widths of the largest updraft and downdraft are comparable to the boundary-layer depth, Z _i, and the mean value of the ratio of spectral peak wavelength to Z _iwas about 1.3 and 1.1 for urban and rural areas, respectively. Convective similarity scaling parameters appeared to order both the urban and rural measurements.On assignment from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce.     

The logarithmic profile in wind erosion: An algebraic solution

This paper presents a simple algebraic approach to the interpretation of wind erosion data that allows for density variation close to the surface due to the presence of large amounts of saltating material. The effect explains nonlinearities in the logarithmic velocity profile near the surface and extends the profile into the saltating layer.