Differential Transport of Escherichia coli Isolates Compared to Abiotic Tracers in a Karst Aquifer

Lack of filtration and rapid transport of groundwater and particulate matter make karst aquifers susceptible to bacterial contamination. This study utilized quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to examine the transport and attenuation of two nonvirulent isolates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in relation to traditional groundwater tracers (rhodamine WT dye and 1-µm diameter latex microspheres) in a karst-conduit aquifer in central Kentucky. Bacterial isolates were labeled with stable isotopes (¹⁵N and ¹³C). All tracers were detected more than 6 km downstream from the injection site and demonstrated overlapping breakthrough curves, with differential transport observed between the two bacterial strains. The E. coli isolate containing the kps gene (low attachment) arrived at sampling sites 1.25 to 36 h prior to the bacterial isolate containing the iha gene (high attachment) and was detected in samples collected following storm events in which the iha isolate was not detected. The storage potential of contaminants within karst systems was demonstrated by the remobilization of all tracers during storm events more than 1 month after injection. Bacteria-sized microspheres were more easily remobilized during periods of increased discharge compared to other tracers. The study demonstrated that molecular biology techniques such as qPCR can be utilized as a sensitive analysis of bacterial tracers in karst aquifers and may prove to be a more sensitive analytical technique than stable isotope analysis for field-scale traces.     

Detailed mineralogy and petrology of highly shocked poikilitic shergottite Northwest Africa 6342

Northwest Africa (NWA) 6342 is an intermediate, poikilitic shergottite, found in Algeria in 2010. It is comprised of two distinct petrographic areas; poikilitic domains with rounded Mg‐rich olivine chadacrysts enclosed by large low‐Ca pyroxene oikocrysts, and a nonpoikilitic domain mainly comprised of subhedral olivine and vesicular recrystallized plagioclase. Oxygen fugacity conditions become more oxidizing during crystallization from the poikilitic to the nonpoikilitic domain (QFM?3.0 to QFM?2.2). As such, it is likely that NWA 6342 experienced a two‐stage (polybaric) crystallization history similar to that of the enriched poikilitic shergottites. NWA 6342 also experienced relatively high levels of shock metamorphism in comparison to most other poikilitic shergottites as evidenced by the fine‐grained recrystallization texture in olivine, as well as melting and subsequent crystallization of plagioclase. The recrystallization of plagioclase requires an extended period of postshock thermal metamorphism for NWA 6342 and similarly shocked intermediate poikilitic shergottites NWA 4797 and Grove Mountains 99027 most likely due to launch from Mars. The similarities in petrology, chemistry, and shock features between these three meteorites indicate that they have similar crystallization and shock histories; possibly originating from the same source area on Mars.     

Arsenic in sediments, groundwater, and streamwater of a glauconitic Coastal Plain terrain, New Jersey, USA—Chemical “fingerprints” for geogenic and anthropogenic sources

Glauconite-bearing deposits are found worldwide, but As levels have been determined for relatively few. The As content of glauconites in sediments of the Inner Coastal Plain of New Jersey can exceed 100 mg/kg, and total As concentrations (up to 5.95 μg/L) found historically and recently in streamwaters exceed the State standard. In a major watershed of the Inner Coastal Plain, chemical “fingerprints” were developed for streambed sediments and groundwater to identify contributions of As to the watershed from geologic and anthropogenic sources. The fingerprint for streambed sediments, which included Be, Cr, Fe and V, indicated that As was predominantly of geologic origin. High concentrations of dissolved organic C, nutrients (and Cl⁻) in shallow groundwater indicated anthropogenic inputs that provided an environment where microbial activity released As from minerals to groundwater discharging to the stream. Particulates in streamwater during high flow constituted most of the As load; the chemical patterns for these particulates resembled the geologic fingerprint of the streambed sediments. The As/Cr ratio of these suspended particles likely indicates they derived not only from runoff, but from groundwater inputs, because As contributed by groundwater is sequestered on streambed sediments. Agricultural inputs of As were not clearly identified, although chemical characteristics of some sediments indicated vehicle-related inputs of metals. Sediment sampling during dry and wet years showed that, under differing hydrologic conditions, local anthropogenic fingerprints could be obscured but the geologic fingerprint, indicating glauconitic sediments as an As source, was robust.     

Forest-Landscape Structure along an Urban-To-Rural Gradient*

Human activities and forest-landscape structure are examined along a belt transect that extends 140 km from New York City to northwestern Connecticut. The study quantifies urban structures (population density, land use. transportation) and processes (population growth, urban land development) in the transect, and tests for relationships with the distribution, sizes, and shapes of forests. Our results identify distinct characteristics of urban and suburban environments based on the landscape structure of native forest vegetation. These findings are applicable to the management of natural areas along a gradient of urbanization.     

Contribution of aluminum from abandoned surface mine pits in Raccoon Creek, Ohio

Middleton Run, a severely acid mine drainage (AMD) impacted tributary of Little Raccoon Creek, drains a sub-watershed area of 3.67 km² (2.28 square miles). Averaging 58.7 kg/day (129.4 lbs/day) at its mouth, demonstrated aluminum loads from Middleton Run are particularly severe. A preliminary study of two previously unmonitored tributaries was conducted to justify future treatment projects. Monthly chemical water quality data were collected for 6 months. Soil leachate samples collected on five strip mining sites within the sub-watershed were analyzed for acidity, alkalinity, pH, aluminum and iron. Soil leachate tests have shown that one of the pits has a much larger pollution production potential and should be targeted for remediation.     

Characterization of weathering and heterogeneous mineral phase distribution in brachinite Northwest Africa 4872

Terrestrial weathering of hot desert achondrite meteorite finds and heterogeneous phase distributions in meteorites can complicate interpretation of petrological and geochemical information regarding parent‐body processes. For example, understanding the effects of weathering is important for establishing chalcophile and siderophile element distributions within sulfide and metal phases in meteorites. Heterogeneous mineral phase distribution in relatively coarsely grained meteorites can also lead to uncertainties relating to compositional representativeness. Here, we investigate the weathering and high‐density (e.g., sulfide, spinel, Fe‐oxide) phase distribution in sections of ultramafic achondrite meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 4872. NWA 4872 is an olivine‐rich brachinite (Fo_{63.6 ± 0.5}) with subsidiary pyroxene (Fs_9.7 ± 0.1Wo_{46.3 ± 0.2}), Cr‐spinel (Cr# = 70.3 ± 1.1), and weathered sulfide and metal. Raman mapping confirms that weathering has redistributed sulfur from primary troilite, resulting in the formation of Fe‐oxide (‐hydroxide) and marcasite (FeS₂). From Raman mapping, NWA 4872 is composed of olivine (89%), Ca‐rich pyroxene (0.4%), and Cr‐spinel (1.1%), with approximately 7% oxidized metal and sulfide and 2.3% marcasite‐dominated sulfide. Microcomputed tomography (micro‐CT) observations reveal high‐density regions, demonstrating heterogeneities in mineral distribution. Precision cutting of the largest high‐density region revealed a single 2 mm Cr‐spinel grain. Despite the weathering in NWA 4872, rare earth element (REE) abundances of pyroxene determined by laser‐ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) indicate negligible modification of these elements in this mineral phase. The REE abundances of mineral grains in NWA 4872 are consistent with formation of the meteorite as the residuum of the partial melting process that occurred on its parent body. LA‐ICP‐MS analyses of sulfide and alteration products demonstrate the mobility of Re and/or Os; however, highly siderophile element (HSE) abundance patterns remain faithful recorders of processes acting on the brachinite parent body(ies). Detailed study of weathering and phase distribution offers a powerful tool for assessing the effects of low‐temperature alteration and for identifying robust evidence for parent‐body processes.     

Farm-scale adaptation and vulnerability to environmental stresses: Insights from winegrowing in Northern California

The wine industry is increasingly recognized as especially vulnerable to climate change due to the climate sensitivity of both winegrape yields and quality, making it an important model system for the agricultural impacts of global changes. However, agricultural production is strongly influenced by the management decisions of growers, including their practices to modify the microclimate experienced by the growing crop; these adaptations have not been studied at the vineyard level, where managers on the ground are on the front lines of responding to global change.We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with winegrowers to examine farm-scale adaptive responses to environmental stresses, to understand the views and motivations of agricultural managers, and to explore adaptive capacity in practice. We found that growers tend to respond to stresses individually rather than collectively, except when facing severe, unfamiliar pests and diseases. Responses may be reactive or anticipatory; most anticipatory strategies have been short-term, in response to imminent threats. Growers tend to rely on their own experience to guide their management decisions, which may offer poor guidance under novel climate regimes. From using a Vulnerability Scoping Diagram, we find that changing exposure (vineyard location) and sensitivity (planting choices such as vine variety) have the biggest impact on reducing vulnerability, but that adaptations in growing or processing the crop in the vineyard and winery are easier to implement, much more commonly undertaken, and may also offer substantial adaptive capacity. Understanding the context of adaptations, as well as the decision-making processes motivating them, is important for understanding responses to global change.These findings highlight some innovations in adapting to global change, as well as some of the barriers, and point to the need for strategic investments to enhance agricultural resilience to climate change. In particular, strategies to enhance both effective and easy to implement farming adaptations, as well as broader-scale anticipatory, collective responses, could reduce vulnerability in the context of climate change.     

The Homo habitat niche: using the avian fossil record to depict ecological characteristics of Palaeolithic Eurasian hominins

Although hardly applied to human palaeoecology, bird fossils offer a unique opportunity for quantitative studies of the hominin habitat. Here we reconstruct the Homo habitat niche across a large area of the Palaearctic, based on a database of avian fauna for Pleistocene sites. Our results reveal a striking association between Homo and habitat mosaics. A mix of open savannah-type woodland, wetlands and rocky habitats emerges as the predominant combination occupied by Homo across a wide geographical area, from the earliest populations of the Lower Palaeolithic to the latest hunter-gatherer communities of the Upper Palaeolithic. This observation is in keeping with the view that such landscapes have had long standing selective value for hominins.     

The cycling and oxidation pathways of organic carbon in a shallow estuary along the Texas Gulf Coast

The cycling and oxidation pathways of organic carbon were investigated at a single shallow water estuarine site in Trinity Bay, Texas, the uppermost lobe of Galveston Bay, during November 2000. Radio-isotopes were used to estimate sediment mixing and accumulation rates, and benthic chamber and pore water measurements were used to determine sediment-water exchange fluxes of oxygen, nutrients and metals, and infer carbon oxidation rates. Using ⁷Be and ²³⁴Th_XS, the sediment-mixing coefficient (D_b) was 4.3 ± 1.8 cm² y⁻¹, a value that lies at the lower limit for marine environments, indicating that mixing was not important in these sediments at this time. Sediment accumulation rates (S_a), estimated using ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_XS, were 0.16 ± 0.02 g cm⁻² y⁻¹. The supply rate of organic carbon to the sediment-water interface was 30 ± 3.9 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, of which ∼10% or 2.9 ± 0.44 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹was lost from the system through burial below the 1-cm thick surface mixed layer. Measured fluxes of O₂ were 26 ± 3.8 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ and equated to a carbon oxidation rate of 20 ± 3.3 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹, which is an upper limit due to the potential for oxidation of additional reduced species. Using organic carbon gradients in the surface mixed layer, carbon oxidation was estimated at 2.6 ± 1.1 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹. Independent estimates made using pore water concentration gradients of ammonium and C:N stoichiometry, equaled 2.8 ± 0.46 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹. The flux of DOC out of the sediments (DOC_efflux) was 5.6 ± 1.3 mmol C m⁻² d⁻¹. In general, while mass balance was achieved indicating the sediments were at steady state during this time, changes in environmental conditions within the bay and the surrounding area, mean this conclusion might not always hold. These results show that the majority of carbon oxidation occurred at the sediment-water interface, via O₂ reduction. This likely results from the high frequency of sediment resuspension events combined with the shallow sediment mixing zone, leaving anaerobic oxidants responsible for only ∼10–15% of the carbon oxidized in these sediments.