Hydrological influences on hyporheic water quality: implications for salmon egg survival

The spatial and temporal variability of groundwater–surface‐water (GW–SW) interactions was investigated in an intensively utilized salmon spawning riffle. Hydrochemical tracers, were used along with high‐resolution hydraulic head and temperature data to assess hyporheic dynamics. Surface and subsurface hydrochemistry were monitored at three locations where salmon spawning had been observed in previous years. Temperature and hydraulic head were monitored in three nests of three piezometers located to characterize the head, the run and the tail‐out of the riffle feature. Hydrochemical gradients between surface and subsurface water indicated increasing GW influence with depth into the hyporheic zone. Surface water was characterized by high dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations, low alkalinity and conductivity. Hyporheic water was generally characterized by high levels of alkalinity and conductivity indicative of longer residence times, and low DO, indicative of reducing conditions. Hydrochemical and temperature gradients varied spatially over the riffle in response to changes in local GW–SW interactions at the depths investigated. Groundwater inputs dominated the head and tail of the riffle. The influence of SW increased in the area of accelerating flow and decreasing water depth through the run of the riffle. Temporal GW–SW interactions also varied in response to changing hydrological conditions. Gross changes in hyporheic hydrochemistry were observed at the weekly scale in response to changing flow conditions and surface water inputs to the hyporheic zone. During low flows, caused by freezing or dry weather, hyporheic hydrochemistry was dominated by GW inputs. During higher flows hyporheic hydrochemistry indicated that SW contributions increased. In addition, high‐resolution hydraulic head data indicated that rapid changes in GW–SW interactions occurred during hydrological events. The spatial, and possibly the temporal, variability of GW–SW interactions had a marked effect on the survival of salmon ova. It is concluded that hyporheic dynamics and their effect on stream ecology should be given increased consideration by fisheries and water resource managers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Jurassic planktonic foraminifera from the United Kingdom

Unequivocal planktonic foraminifera have been discovered in Oxfordian strata from Dorset and Scotland. These assemblages are, in part, coeval with previously reported occurrences of planktonic taxa in the Oxfordian of Normandy and Seine Maritime (France). Three species are now reported from the United Kingdom for the first time: Globuligerina oxfordiana ( Grigelis, 1958 ), Haeuslerina helvetojurassica ( Haeusler, 1881 ) and Compactogerina sp. cf. C. stellapolaris ( Grigelis, 1977 ). There appears to be a close relationship between the distribution of these planktonic taxa in the UK and a marked sea-level highstand.     

Interferometric space missions for the search for terrestrial exoplanets: Requirements on the rejection ratio

The requirements on space missions designed to study Terrestrial exoplanets are discussed. We then investigate whether the design of such a mission, specifically the Darwin nulling interferometer, can be carried out in a simplified scenario. The key element here is accepting somewhat higher levels of stellar leakage. We establish detailed requirements resulting from the scientific rationale for the mission, and calculate detailed parameters for the stellar suppression required to achieve those requirements. We do this utilizing the Darwin input catalogue. The dominating noise source for most targets in this sample is essentially constant for all targets, while the leakage diminishes with the square of the distance. This means that the stellar leakage has an effect on the integration time only for the nearby stars, while for the more distant targets its influence decreases significantly. We assess the impact of different array configurations and nulling profiles and identify the stars for which the detection efficiency can be maximized.     

Internal dynamics of globular clusters

Summary. Galactic globular clusters, which are ancient building blocks of our Galaxy, represent a very interesting family of stellar systems in which some fundamental dynamical processes have taken place on time scales shorter than the age of the universe. In contrast with galaxies, these clusters represent unique laboratories for learning about two-body relaxation, mass segregation from equipartition of energy, stellar collisions, stellar mergers, and core collapse. In the present review, we summarize the tremendous developments, as much theoretical as observational, that have taken place during the last two decades, and which have led to a quantum jump in our understanding of these beautiful dynamical systems. Received 3 August 1996     

Oil-spill fishery impact assessment model: Application to selected Georges Bank fish species

An oil-spill fishery impact assessment model composed of an oil-spill fates model, a shelf hydrodynamics model, an ichthyoplankton transport and fate model, and a fishery population model originally developed by Reed & Spaulding, has been improved and applied to the Georges Bank-Gulf of Maine region to assess the probable impact of oil spills on several key fisheries. The model addresses direct impacts of oil on the commercial fishery through hydrocarbon-induced egg and larval mortality. This early life stage hydrocarbon-induced mortality is estimated by assuming a toxicity threshold approach and by mapping the spatial/temporal interaction between the subsurface oil concentrations caused by the spill and the developing eggs and larvae. Model output is given in terms of differential catch, with a comparison made of hydrocarbon-impacted fisheries.Simulations of tanker and blowout spills at two separate locations for each season of the year in the Outer Continental Shelf lease areas have been completed for Atlantic herring, haddock, and Atlantic cod. Results to date suggest a complex interaction among spill location and timing, the spatial and temporal spawning distribution of the species, and the hydrodynamics of the area. The largest impacts occur for spring and winter spills.     

Seismic response to collapse structures in the Southern North Sea

The presence of probable salt dissolution-associated collapse structures in the North Sea based on the evidence of contemporary seismic data was discussed by Lohmann (1972). Since then, little attention has been paid to them in North Sea literature, although many oil companies will have studies on file. This Paper describes and illustrates a selection of such features in the area from recent seismic data, and suggest a broad classification for them as they are seen on the seismic section, based on mode of origin. Reference will also be made to certain types of carbonate dissolution and collapse effects.     

The M 4 Core Project with HST: I. Overview and first epoch

We present an overview of the ongoing Hubble Space Telescope large program GO‐12911. The program is focused on the core of M 4, the nearest Galactic globular cluster, and the observations are designed to constrain the number of binaries with massive companions (black holes, neutron stars, or white dwarfs) by measuring the “wobble” of the luminous (mainsequence) companion around the center of mass of the pair, with an astrometric precision of ∼50 µas. The high spatial resolution and stable medium‐band PSFs of WFC3/UVIS will make these measurements possible. In this work we describe (i) the motivation behind this study, (ii) our observing strategy, (iii) the many other investigations enabled by this unique data set, and which of those our team is conducting, and (iv) a preliminary reduction of the first‐epoch dataset collected on 2012 October 10. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)