Small macro‐benthic invertebrates influence the survival,growth and behaviour of juvenile green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis in the laboratory

Recent settlers of many marine benthic invertebrates are cryptic, which exposes them to a suite of animals that differs from those they may experience as adults, potentially resulting in interactions causing mortality and/or reducing growth. Previous field experiments have indicated that such is the case with small juvenile green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis but which taxa are responsible for the mortality and reduced growth was not determined. A laboratory study was conducted to examine the effects of small macro‐benthic invertebrates, specifically chitons, scaleworms and larger juvenile conspecifics, as well as the full suite of cobble‐dwelling organisms, on the mortality, growth and behaviour of small (<3 mm) juvenile sea urchins. The likelihood of survival of small juvenile sea urchins was lower in the presence of larger juvenile sea urchins or with the full suite of cobble‐dwelling organisms than in the absence of animals. The small juvenile sea urchins survived and grew the best when they were with chitons and scaleworms. The behaviour of small sea urchins with the full suite of cobble‐dwelling organisms was more cryptic than the behaviour of urchins with scaleworms. This study indicates that interactions with the suite of small organisms living amongst cobbles can affect survival, growth and behaviour of small juvenile sea urchins, and that larger juvenile sea urchins can be a source of mortality for smaller conspecifics.     

Creation and destruction of lower continental crust

Bulk continental crustal composition results from the net mass exchange between crust and mantle. Crustal addition is mainly by the rise of mantle-derived melts into and through the crust at convergent plate margins and (at a lower rate) within plate interiors. Crustal subtraction occurs by subduction of uppermost crust (sediment, continent-derived elements in hydrothermally altered oceanic crust), by subcrustal erosion at convergent margins and by delamination of lowermost crust following densifying gabbro-eclogite phase transformations that result in a crust-mantle density inversion. As the phase transformations only occur at high pressure, tectonic overthickening of the crust (to > 50 km) is required. The lowermost crust at continent-ocean and continent-continent convergent plate margins is more likely to experience these transient overthickening events (compressional orogenies) than is intraplate crust. Correspondingly, the preservation probability of mafic lower crust is greater for intraplate than for plate margin localities. Delamination of mafic lower crust is the main process for removing basic composition rocks from the crust, thereby creating »andesitic« crustal composition. Evidence for lower crustal delamination comes from »geochemically balanced« cross section of compressional belts, and from the high La/Yb ratios, lack of Eu anomalies, and high Sr contents in deep crustallyderived magmas from the base of tectonically over-thickened crust. These crustal magmas are often accompanied by mantle-derived basalts associated with crustal uplift and extension, both related to the coincident delamination of underlying mantle lithosphere.

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Zusammenfassung Die Gesamtzusammenfassung der Kontinentalen Kruste resultiert aus dem Massenaustausch zwischen Kruste und Mantel. Krustenzuwachs erfolgt hauptsächlich beim Aufstieg in und durch die Kruste von aus dem Mantel abstammenden Basalt an konvergierenden Plattengrenzen und zum geringeren Teil Plattenintern. Der Krustenabbau wird erreicht per Subduktion der obersten Kruste, durch subkrustale Erosion an konvergierenden Plattengrenzen (Sedimente, Elemente kontinentaler Herkunft von hydrothermal veränderter ozeanischer Kruste). Dies wird hervorgerufen von der Schichtspaltung der untersten Kruste nach der Verdichtung durch die Gabbro-Eklogit-Phasentransformation, welche in der Krusten-Mantel-Dichte-Inversion resultiert. Da die Phasentransformation nur unter hohen Drücken stattfindet, werden tektonische Mächtigkeitszunahmen der Kruste (> 50 km) benötigt. Die unterste Kruste in Bereichen von konvergierenden Kontinent-Ozean und Kontinent-Kontinent Plattengrenzen unterliegt einer größeren Wahrscheinlichkeit vorübergehende Mächtigkeitszunahmen zu erfahren als platteninterne Kruste. Dementsprechend ist die Erhaltungswahrscheinlichkeit von mafischer unterer Kruste für platteninterne Bereiche größer als für Plattengrenzen. Schichtspaltung von mafischer unterer Kruste ist der Hauptprozeß basisch zusammengesetzte Gesteine aus der Kruste zu entfernen, hierbei wird die Kruste in Richtung »andesitische« Zusammensetzung verändert. Hinweise für Schichtspaltung der unteren Kruste stammen von »geochemisch bilanzierten« Profilen aus druckhaft deformierten Zonen. Weiterhin sprechen dafür hohe La/Yb-Werte, das Fehlen von Eu-Anomalien und hohe Sr-Gehalte, wie sie an der Basis tektonisch verdickter Kruste in Magmen, die aus der tiefen Kruste stammen, gefunden werden. Diese krustalen Magmen werden häufig von Mantelbasalten begleitet, die zu Krustenhebung und Dehnung in Verbindung stehen; beides im Zusammenhang stehend zu der gleichzeitig stattfindenden Schichtspaltung der unterlagernden Mantellithosphäre.

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Résumé La composition d'ensemble de la croûte continentale résulte des échanges entre la croûte et le manteau. L'apport dans la croûte provient en ordre principal de la montée de basalte d'origine mantélique qui s'opère aux bordures des plaques convergentes et, dans une moindre mesure, à l'intérieur des plaques. Le départ hors de la croûte se produit par la subduction de la croûte supérieure (sédiments, éléments dérivés des continents dans la croûte océanique affectée d'altération hydrothermale), par érosion subcrustale le long des marges convergentes et par délamination à la base de la croûte, les transformations de phase gabbro-éclogitiques entraînant une augmentation de densité et une inversion de densité entre croûte et manteau. Comme ces transformations de phases ne se produisent qu'à haute pression, elles impliquent un épaississement tectonique de la croûte (jusqu'à plus de 50 Km). Le domaine probable de tels épaississement est la partie inférieure de la croûte en bordure des plaques convergentes continentocéan ou continent-continent (orogènes de compression), plutôt que la croûte intra-plaque. Inversement, la probabilité de conversion d'une croûte inférieure mafique est plus élevée au milieu des plaques que sur leurs bordures. La délamination de la croûte inférieure est le processus courant d'appauvrissement de la croûte en roches mafiques, avec création d'une composition crustale »andésitique«. Les arguments en faveur de cette delamination sub-crustale sont tirés de profils »géochimiquement équilibrés« dans les ceintures en compression, ainsi que des rapports La/Yb élevés, de l'absence d'anomalie de l'Eu et des hautes teneurs en Sr dans les magmas dérivés de la partie profonde des croûtes tectoniquement épaissies. Ces magmas crustaux sont souvent accompagnés de basaltes d'origine mantélique associés à un soulèvement et à une extension crustale, ces deux processus étant liés à la délamination concommittante de la lithosphère mantélique sousjacente.

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Morphology,sedimentary bedforms and sand transport across a ridge- and- runnel beach under the action of summer waves

As part of a collaborative study between the 3rd Institute of Oceanography, Xiamen, and the U. K. Universities of East Anglia and St. Andrews, a 4-day experiment was conducted on a ridge- and- runnel beach of north Norfolk on the North Sea coast. Detailed surveys were made of every low water of an area 10m by 30m and electromagnetic current meters were used to measure wave-induced currents over the ridge and in the runnel. The locations of bedform fields were noted, fluorescent sand was used to follow the sand movement and, at the end of the experiment, lacquer peels were taken of the top 0.2m of a vertical section through the ridge- and- runnel. During the 4 days 0.75m³ of sand per metre width of beach accreted in the runnel and a similar volume was eroded from the upper foreshore. The dominant shoreward transport, identified qualitatively by the movement of the fluorescent sand, suggests the ridge- and- runnel system migrated shorewards up the general beach slope of 1^o by 2–3m. The wave orbital currents were used to predict the bedforms to be expected over the tidal cycle: an upper phase plane- bed was predicted for most of the period but vortex and rolling- grain ripples were predicted and observed when the water level over the ridge was low. As the tide dropped ripples on the ridge were eliminated by swash action but the ripples in the runnel were protected by the ridge and remained on the beach after the tide dropped. The observed accretion of the beach in the runnel and on the lee slope of the ridge was used to calculate that a net average shoreward transport of 0.11g/cm·s⁻¹ occurred over the ridge crest during the period it was underwater. The current meter measurements of the wave orbital currents and the mean currents over the ridge crest were used with the wave- current interaction model of Grant and Madsen (1982), ripple dimensions defined by Nielsen (1981), and resuspension coefficient of Vincent and Green (1990), to compute bedload sand transport rates from the equations of Madsen and Grant (1976), Sleath (1978), and Vincent et al. (1981), and also the suspended sand transport rates. The results from one of these bedload equations (Madsen and Grant, 1976) compared well with the observed net transport. The calculated suspended load transport rates (due to steady currents alone) were a factor of 5 too great, and were also several orders of magnitude greater than suspended transport rates measured directly under similar or more energetic wave and current conditions.     

COUNCIL MEETING,SEATTLE April 26-27, 1974

Since the U.S. Embassy in Beijing placed an air quality sensor on its roof and began publishing the results on Twitter in 2008, air quality has gained widespread attention on Chinese microblogs. When the Chinese government introduced new air quality standards in 2012, some hailed this as a victory for Chinese microbloggers, signifying the emergence of social media as a democratizing force leading to greater citizen power. Using a representative sample of microblog posts collected from October 2012 to June 2013 on the topic of air pollution, as well as contextual information from a variety of sources, we examine how the government, companies, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals approach the Chinese social media landscape. We find that although microblogs are capable of empowering citizens to advance an environmental cause, social media have also been increasingly employed by the government as a tool for social monitoring and control and by companies as a platform for profiting from air pollution.     

Influence of uranium (VI) on the metabolic activity of stable multispecies biofilms studied by oxygen microsensors and fluorescence microscopy

The effect of uranium added in ecologically relevant concentrations (1 × 10⁻⁵ and 1 × 10⁻⁶ M) to stable multispecies biofilms was studied by electrochemical oxygen microsensors with tip diameters of 10 μm and by confocal laser fluorescence microscopy (CLSM). The microsensor profile measurements in the stable multispecies biofilms exposed to uranium showed that the oxygen concentration decreased faster with increasing biofilm depth compared to the uranium free biofilms. In the uranium containing biofilms, the oxygen consumption, calculated from the steady-state microprofiles, showed high consumption rates of up to 61.7 nmol cm⁻³ s⁻¹ in the top layer (0-70 μm) and much lower consumption rates in the lower zone of the biofilms. Staining experiments with 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) confirmed the high respiratory activities of the bacteria in the upper layer. Analysis of the amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments showed that the addition of uranium in ecologically relevant concentrations did not change the bacterial diversity in the stable multispecies biofilms and is therefore not responsible for the different oxygen profiles in the biofilms. The fast decrease in the oxygen concentrations in the biofilm profiles showed that the bacteria in the top region of the biofilms, i.e., the metabolically most active biofilm zone, battle the toxic effects of aqueous uranium with an increased respiratory activity. This increased respiratory activity results in O₂ depleted zones closer to the biofilm/air interface which may trigger uranium redox processes, since suitable redox partners, e.g., extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and other organics (e.g., metabolites), are sufficiently available in the biofilm porewaters. Such redox reactions may lead to precipitation of uranium (IV) solids and consequently to a removal of uranium from the aqueous phase.     

The SW African volcanic rifted margin and the initiation of the Walvis Ridge,South Atlantic

The continental margin of SW Africa is typical of a volcanic rifted margin associated with a hotspot trail characterized by a large volcanic ridge, the Walvis Ridge, defining the hotspot migration, and extensive extrusive volcanism that produced seaward-dipping reflectors (SDR). Previously unpublished seismic data show two significant anomalies of the SW African Margin when compared to other typical volcanic rifted margins: (1) Hyaloclastitic outer highs are rare, and (2) the SDR in the North dip towards the Walvis Ridge. We explain these anomalies by a major transform segment close to the centre of volcanism combined with pulsed volcanism. The Walvis Ridge represents an east-west striking extrusive centre which produced a SDR sequence. Following break-up the northern boundary of the Walvis Ridge became a left lateral transform fault. Our data support the idea that a transform fault system interacting with a ridge jump were responsible for the accretion of the São Paulo Plateau to the American plate.     

Global Warming and Risk of Vivax Malaria in Great Britain

Malaria (ague) was once common in many parts of Great Britain (GB). Here we identify areas currently at risk from vivax malaria and examine how this pattern may change as a consequence of global warming during this century. We used a mathematical model to describe how temperature affects the risk of vivax malaria, transmitted by a common British mosquito, Anopheles atroparvus. This model was linked with present-day temperature surfaces and future temperature change scenarios for GB, and used to map areas suitable for malaria transmission. We found an excellent agreement between the present-day risk map for malaria and historical records of ague distribution. This study demonstrates that many parts of GB are warm enough for malaria transmission and the extent of these areas are likely to increase in the future. Health services need to remain aware of the possibility of locally-transmitted malaria, particularly in marshland areas in southern England. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The self-organising of youth volunteers during the Rena oil spill in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

This study explores the communication and organising of youth volunteers during a crisis, focusing on how they conceived, framed, and executed self-organising efforts during the 2011 Rena oil spill in New Zealand. It offers insights into the intersections of self-organising, youth volunteering and crisis events which have not been researched before. The study addresses two core research questions: 1. how was ‘volunteering’ conceptualised by youth volunteers involved in the Rena crisis; and 2. how did these volunteers communicate and self-organise during this crisis? The findings indicate that self-organising emerged out of a resistance towards structured responses and as a reaction to the inability of the official volunteer response to meet the needs of the community. Self-organised efforts were particularly attractive among youth volunteers because they offered flexibility, required minimal administrative processes, and fostered an environment of innovation and creativity. The volunteers’ youthful energy and technological aptitude additionally drove their self-organised responses. The study identifies the considerable challenges that crisis officials faced in utilising youth volunteers despite the significant advantages of self-organising.     

Remediation of a major acid mine drainage point source discharge restores headwater connectivity for a diadromous native fish

Rivers receiving acid mine drainage (AMD) are frequently depauperate in fish and impacts may extend long distances downstream. AMD inputs may form chemical barriers for migratory species and isolate fish in unimpacted headwaters. We investigated the response of a diadromous fish, kōaro (Galaxias brevipinnis), to remediation of an AMD tributary in a 5th order river in New Zealand. A 2005 survey indicated limited recruitment of kōaro in the river likely due to the chemical barrier of AMD. By 2010, water treatment in the contaminated tributary had raised pH from a median value of 4.3 to 6 and reduced metals in the lower river, notably aluminium from a median of 2.48 to 0.41?mg/L. In 2012, kōaro density had increased by an order of magnitude relative to 2005. Furthermore, a greater proportion of juvenile fish were present. These results indicate that large-scale remediation of discharges can reverse the impacts of AMD on fish migration.