Carbon and oxygen isotope composition of pedogenic CaCO3 from soil profiles in Nevada and New Mexico,U.S.A.

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope measurements have been obtained from ten calcareous soil profiles developed on noncalcareous parent materials in Nevada and New Mexico. Despite the number of variables that can affect the isotopic composition of soil carbonate, most of these profiles show remarkably little variation in δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁸O with depth. This tendency towards uniformity is attributed to the fact that pedogenic carbonate forms by the incremental accumulation of a large number of small aliquots of CaCO₃. As the number of aliquots of CaCO₃ increases, the composition of their sum, which is the calcareous horizon itself, tends to converge to the long-term average of the individual aliquots. A mathematical model is presented to show how the time required for convergence is affected by the amplitude and period of aliquot variation and the extent of dissolution and reprecipitation of previously deposited carbonate. Calculations further indicate that in some cases the variation in δ ¹⁸O of soil carbonates may be moderated by the opposing effects of temperature change on the H₂OCaCO₃ fractionation factor and on the extent of evapotranspiration.The data of this study indicate that soil carbonates from sites within a homogeneous climatic region show relatively little site-to-site variation in δ ¹⁸O as compared to geographical variation in δ ¹³C. This suggests that the δ ¹⁸O of soil carbonates is primarily controlled by broad climatic factors (rainfall composition and temperature) whereas site factors (e.g., soil CO₂) have a strong effect on δ ¹³C. In Nevada and New Mexico the δ ¹⁸O of Pleistocene calcareous profiles is 2.0–4.0‰ lighter than that of nearby Holocene soil carbonate, suggesting that old well-developed profiles may have formed dominantly under cooler pluvial conditions.     

Organic versus inorganic trace metal complexes in sulfidic marine waters—some speculative calculations based on available stability constants

A theoretical model has been developed in order to test the hypothesis that simple organic acids are the chief agents of trace metal solubility in H₂S-rich marine waters. The model utilizes stability constant given by Sillen and Martell (1964, 1971) and assumes that the free cation activity of each metal is controlled by simple solubility products. Typical values of pH, pS and Eh are employed in the calculations. The results indicate that free amino acids and hydrocarboxylic acids probably are not effective but that bisulfide and polysulfide complexes may be the chief agents of trace metal solubility. To the extent that it is present, the effect of dissolved organic matter on trace metal solubility probably resides in highly polymerized substances (e.g. humic acids).     

Dynamics of epiphytic photoautotrophs and heterotrophs inZostera marina (eelgrass) microcosms: Responses to nutrient enrichment and grazing

The combined effects of nutrient enrichment and grazing by isopods and amphipods on abundances of seagrass epiphytes were tested inZostera marina L. (eelgrass) microcosms. Using epifluorescence microscopy, densities of epiphytic diatoms, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic flagellates, and heterotrophic bacteria were enumerated after 1 mo and 2 mo of treatment. In general, numbers of diatoms decreased, in the presence of grazers and showed little response to nutrient enrichment, whereas numbers of cyanobacteria increased with nutrient enrichment and showed little response to grazing. Thus, macrofaunal grazing maintained a photoautotrophic community domainated by cyanobacteria, particularly under nutrient enriched conditions. Following 2 mo of treatment, dense macroalgal growth under nutrient-enriched conditins with grazers absent appeared to limit populations of both epiphytic autotrophs. Patterns of abundance of heterotrophic bacteria suggested that the original bacteria population was nutrient limited. Bacteria populations may have been limited by organic carbon supplies at the end of the experiment. Abundances of heterotrophic flagellates and bacteria were strongly correlated on both sampling dates. Results suggest that heterotrophic flagellates might serve as a link between heterotrophic bacterial production and higher trophic levels in seagrass epiphyte food webs.     

Downvalley fining of hillslope sediment in an alpine catchment: implications for downstream fining of sediment flux in mountain rivers

The size distributions of sediment delivered from hillslopes to rivers profoundly influence river morphodynamics, including river incision into bedrock and the quality of aquatic habitat. Yet little is known about the factors that influence size distributions of sediment produced by weathering on hillslopes. We present results of a field study of hillslope sediment size distributions at Inyo Creek, a steep catchment in granitic bedrock of the Sierra Nevada, USA. Particles sampled near the base of hillslopes, adjacent to the trunk stream, show a pronounced decrease in sediment size with decreasing sample elevation across all but the coarsest size classes. Measured size distributions become increasingly bimodal with decreasing elevation, exhibiting a coarse, bouldery mode that does not change with elevation and a more abundant finer mode that shifts from cobbles at the highest elevations to gravel at mid elevations and finally to sand at low elevations. We interpret these altitudinal variations in hillslope sediment size to reflect changes in physical, chemical, and biological weathering that can be explained by the catchment's strong altitudinal gradients in topography, climate, and vegetation cover. Because elevation and travel distance to the outlet are closely coupled, the altitudinal trends in sediment size produce a systematic decrease in sediment size along hillslopes parallel to the trunk stream. We refer to this phenomenon as ‘downvalley fining.’ Forward modeling shows that downvalley fining of hillslope sediment is necessary for downstream fining of the long-term average flux of coarse sediment in mountain landscapes where hillslopes and channels are coupled and long-term net sediment deposition is negligible. The model also shows that abrasion plays a secondary role in downstream fining of coarse sediment flux but plays a dominant role in partitioning between the bedload and suspended load. Patterns observed at Inyo Creek may be widespread in mountain ranges around the world. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

The soft-bottom macrobenthos of North Carolina estuaries

The structure of macro infaunal (>0.5 mm sieve size) assemblages was examined in samples of unconsolidated substrates collected during the summers of 1994–1997 at 208 stations throughout North Carolina estuaries. Numerical classification (cluster analysis) of stations resulted in 14 distinct site groups that reflected discernible habitatrelated patterns in species distributions. Multiple discriminant analysis, performed on synoptic abiotic variables (depth, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, percent silt-clay), showed that the separation of site groups was related primarily to salinity. Percent silt-clay had a secondary influence on the separation of sites within similar salinity zones. Species diversity among site groups generally decreased with decreasing salinity and increasing mud content of sediment. Nodal analysis showed a wide range in constancy and fidelity of species assemblages within site groups. Some assemblages dominated by euryhaline species had no particular affinity with any one site group. The strongest affinities, as evidenced by high values of both constancy and fidelity, were displayed by an assemblage of oligochaetes, insect larvae, gammaridean amphipods, and the clamCorbicula fluminea in tidal freshwater muds; and an assemblage of haustoriid amphipods, the bivalveDonax variabilis, the polychaeteParaonis fulgens, and unidentified echinoids at high-salinity sites in outer Pamlico Sound near ocean inlets. A series of stations with impaired benthic assemblages in polluted habitats emerged from the cluster analysis and was distinguishable from other site groups that reflected a greater influence of natural controlling factors (such as salinity and sediment type) on species distributions. These results suggest that the interaction of both anthropogenic and natural environmental controlling factors is important in defining the structure of these infaunal assemblages.