Seasonal variations in chlorophyll and nutrients in a Canadian arctic estuary

The Eskimo Lakes and Liverpool Bay constitute a series of estuarine waters to the Beaufort Sea in arctic Canada. Salinity ranges in summer from 20‰ at the mouth to less than 1‰ at the head of the system. Arctic features include an ice cover lasting for about 8 months annually and water temperatures which fluctuate from ?1°C in winter to as high as 12°C in late summer. Subsurface light is severely attenuated. Reactive phosphate varies from a spring high of 0.3 μg-at P per 1 to undetectable levels during summer. Nitrate is more abundant, and silicate is consistently plentiful. Chlorophyll a reaches a maximum only occasionally higher than 3 mg per m³ in June and July, rising from undetectable levels in winter. Photosynthetic rates are low by all standards, and have not been measured at greater than 6.4 mg C per m² per hour in summer. Low levels of subsurface light and reactive phosphate and nitrate characterize this exceptionally oligotrophic arctic estuary.     

Nanoparticles in natural systems II: The natural oxide fraction at interaction with natural organic matter and phosphate

Information on the particle size and reactive surface area of natural samples and its interaction with natural organic matter (NOM) is essential for the understanding bioavailability, toxicity, and transport of elements in the natural environment. In part I of this series (Hiemstra et al., 2010), a method is presented that allows the determination of the effective reactive surface area (A, m²/g soil) of the oxide particles of natural samples which uses a native probe ion (phosphate) and a model oxide (goethite) as proxy. In soils, the natural oxide particles are generally embedded in a matrix of natural organic matter (NOM) and this will affect the ion binding properties of the oxide fraction. A remarkably high variation in the natural phosphate loading of the oxide surfaces (Γ, μmol/m²) is observed in our soils and the present paper shows that it is due to surface complexation of NOM, acting as a competitor via site competition and electrostatic interaction. The competitive interaction of NOM can be described with the charge distribution (CD) model by defining a ≡NOM surface species. The interfacial charge distribution of this ≡NOM surface species can be rationalized based on calculations done with an evolved surface complexation model, known as the ligand and charge distribution (LCD) model. An adequate choice is the presence of a charge of −1 v.u. at the 1-plane and −0.5 v.u. at the 2-plane of the electrical double layer used (Extended Stern layer model).The effective interfacial NOM adsorption can be quantified by comparing the experimental phosphate concentration, measured under standardized field conditions (e.g. 0.01 M CaCl₂), with a prediction that uses the experimentally derived surface area (A) and the reversibly bound phosphate loading (Γ, μmol/m²) of the sample (part I) as input in the CD model. Ignoring the competitive action of adsorbed NOM leads to a severe under-prediction of the phosphate concentration by a factor ∼10 to 1000. The calculated effective loading of NOM is low at a high phosphate loading (Γ) and vice versa, showing the mutual competition of both constituents. Both constituents in combination usually dominate the surface loading of natural oxide fraction of samples and form the backbone in modeling the fate of other (minor) ions in the natural environment.Empirically, the effective NOM adsorption is found to correlate well to the organic carbon content (OC) of the samples. The effective NOM adsorption can also be linked to DOC. For this, a Non-Ideal Competitive adsorption (NICA) model is used. DOC is found to be a major explaining factor for the interfacial loading of NOM as well as phosphate. The empirical NOM-OC relation or the parameterized NICA model can be used as an alternative for estimating the effective NOM adsorption to be implemented in the CD model for calculation of the surface complexation of field samples. The biogeochemical impact of the NOM-PO₄ interaction is discussed.     

Biochemical alterations in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc: glutathione reductase as a target

The aim of this study was to investigate biochemical changes in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to zinc chloride (10, 30 and 100 microM) for a period of 48 h. Zinc exposure caused a concentration-dependent reduction in glutathione reductase (GR) activity in gills, liver and brain. Gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) was reduced when animals were exposed to the highest concentration of 100 microM zinc. The phosphorylation of p38(MAPK) increased in the brain of fish exposed to zinc 100 microM, while phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) remained unchanged. Expression of proteins HSP60 and HSP70 were not affected by zinc exposure. Considering the significant concentration-dependent inhibition of GR in all tissues analyzed, this enzyme could be a potential biomarker of exposure to zinc, which has to be confirmed.     

Effects of alteration on element distributions in archean tholeiites from the Barberton greenstone belt,South Africa

Major and trace element and modal analyses are presented for unaltered, epidotized, and carbonated tholeiite flows from the Barberton greenstone belt. Au, As, Sb, Sr, Fe⁺³, Ca, Br, Ga, and U are enriched and H₂O, Na, Mg, Fe⁺², K, Rb, Ba, Si, Ti, P, Ni, Cs, Zn, Nb, Cu, Zr, and Co are depleted during epidotization. CO₂, H₂O, Fe⁺², Ti, Zn, Y, Nb, Ga, Ta, and light REE are enriched and Na, Sr, Cr, Ba, Fe⁺³, Ca, Cs, Sb, Au, Mn, and U are depleted during carbonization-chloritization. The elements least affected by epidotization are Hf, Ta, Sc, Cr, Th, and REE; those least affected by carbonization-chloritization are Hf, Ni, Co, Zr, Th, and heavy REE. Both alteration processes can significantly change major element concentrations (and ratios) and hence caution should be used in distinguishing tholeiites from komatiites based on major elements alone. The amount of variation of many of the least mobile trace elements in the altered flows is approximately the same as allowed by magma model calculations. Hence, up to about 10% carbonization and 60% epidotization of tholeiite do not appreciably affect the interpretation of trace-element models for magma generation.     

Effect of shallow and narrow water on added mass of cylinders with various cross-sectional shapes

The sway, heave and roll added masses of three uniform cylinders with semi-circular, rectangular and triangular cross-sectional shapes in shallow and narrow water are numerically analysed. The method is based on simulation of the potential flow induced by the cylinder's mode of motion. The effects of shallow and narrow water on added mass are analysed and presented. It is concluded that the shallow and narrow water effects on added mass depend on the different cross-section shapes of the cylinders. In particular, the water depth effect on sway added mass is stronger than that on heave added mass while the narrow water effect on sway is weaker than that on heave. The shallow water effect on added mass tends to weaken the narrow water effect. Lastly the effect of shallow and narrow water on added mass on a rectangular cylinder is the strongest while that on a triangular cylinder is the weakest.     

Patterns of urban settlements in Somalia

In this research paper attempts have been made to analyze the distribution of 68 urban settlements in 14 regions of the country. The value of near-neighbour statistic (R) shows nearly random pattern of urban settlements in some regions and approachingly uniform distribution of urban settlements in other regions. Regional distribution of urban settlements and their growth have been explained in context of region's geographical, economic and industrial frameworks.     

PGE distribution in deformed lherzolites of the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe (Yakutia)

The results of the first study of the PGE distribution in deformed lherzolites of the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe (Yakutia) are presented here. The complex character of evolution of the PGE composition in the Deformed lherzolites is assumed to be the result of silicate metasomatism. At the first stage, growth in the amount of clinopyroxene and garnet in the rock is accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of the compatible PGE (Os, Ir). During the final stage, the rock is enriched with incompatible PGE (Pt, Pd) and Re possible due to precipitation of submicron-sized particles of sulfides in the interstitial space of these mantle rocks.     

Numerical simulation of the electric field and zonal current in the Earth’s ionosphere: The dynamo field and equatorial electrojet

The work is devoted to the numerical simulation of the dynamo electric field and its effects in the Earth’s ionosphere within the scope of the thermosphere-ionosphere-protonosphere global self-consistent model developed at WD IZMIRAN. The new electric field calculation block, which was used to obtain results of the self-consistent calculations of the electric field potential generated by the dynamo effect of the thermospheric winds (the dynamo field) and the equatorial electrojet for March 22, 1987, is briefly described in this work. A comparison of the obtained results with the experimental data showed a satisfactory agreement. Moreover, the proposed model was used to calculate the diurnal variations in the ionospheric parameters for Jicamarca equatorial station under the same conditions with the help of the new block of the electric field. The results of these calculations are also presented and discussed in this work. It has been indicated that the new model satisfactorily describes the specific features of electric field distribution at the geomagnetic equator and the well-known phenomenon of equatorial electrojet.