A contribution to the pseudoleucite problem

A study has been made of the differences produced in leucites by different methods of cooling charges, in the system NaAlSiO₄-KAlSiO₄-SiO₂-H₂O, consisting of leucite and silicate liquid. The results indicate that the ion exchange reaction in the system is so fast that metastable leucite-analcite solid solutions may be produced between leucite crystals and hydrous glass.     

Carbon Stores,Sinks, and Sources in Forests of Northwestern Russia: Can We Reconcile Forest Inventories with Remote Sensing Results?

Forest inventories and remote sensing are the two principal data sources used to estimate carbon (C) stocks and fluxes for large forest regions. National governments have historically relied on forest inventories for assessments but developments in remote sensing technology provide additional opportunities for operational C monitoring. The estimate of total C stock in live forest biomass modeled from Landsat imagery for the St. Petersburg region was consistent with estimates derived from forest inventory data for the early 1990s (272 and 269 TgC, respectively). The estimates of mean C sink in live forest biomass also agreed well (0.36 and 0.34 Mg C ha^–1 yr^–1). Virtually all forest lands were accumulating C in live biomass, however when the net change in total ecosystem C stock was considered, 19% of the forest area were a net source of C. The average net C sink in total ecosystem biomass is quite weak (0.08 MgC ha^–1 yr^–1 and could be reversed by minor increases in harvest rates or a small decline in biomass growth rates.     

Settling fluxes in Saanich and Jervis Inlets, British Columbia, Canada: sources and seasonal patterns

We conducted a multi-year sediment-trap experiment in Saanich and Jervis Inlets, British Columbia, Canada. Moorings with traps positioned at three depths were placed near the mouth and toward the head of each fjord, and deployments were monthly. We present fluxes of total mass, biogenic silica (BSi), particulate organic carbon (POC) and aluminium (Al), as well as the δ¹³C signal of the POC, and we compare the sediment-trap fluxes to primary-production measurements made during the experiment.Diatomaceous silica and aluminosilicates were the primary components of the settling flux, while organic matter from marine (largely diatoms) and terrestrial sources was occasionally a significant portion of the sinking material. Fluxes of BSi and POC were highest in the spring and summer, tracing maxima in local primary production. These fluxes decreased, increased or remained constant with depth due to water-column remineralisation and variability in processes that cause fluxes to increase with depth. Al fluxes followed local precipitation and river runoff at the landward stations, and with remarkable faithfulness in Saanich Inlet. Near the mouths, there was little seasonality in Al flux, and the increases of flux with depth reveal sedimentary plumes at each fjord’s sill. Tidal and deepwater-renewal components of the plumes are evident, and the plume in Saanich Inlet was particularly intense. Fluxes of Al to deep sediment traps associated with renewal flows were also observed toward the head of each fjord.Marine δ¹³C endmembers are estimated from relationships between δ¹³C and BSi concentrations, and measures of soil δ¹³C from each fjord were available. These endmembers are used with the δ¹³C record to quantify marine and terrigenous contributions to the POC flux. Marine POC composed 54-72% of the total POC caught by shallow sediment traps in spring and summer, and 36-54% in fall and winter. Primary production and sediment-trap fluxes are used to estimate annually averaged export ratios (shallow-trap flux:autotrophic assimilation) for marine POC and Si. POC export ratios (0.092-0.14) were low for these productive waters, but they compare with other results based on sediment-trap fluxes from coastal waters where terrigenous OC has been subtracted. Export ratios of Si were calculated using an estimated Si:C assimilation ratio and, therefore, are susceptible to error, but the high results (>0.8) suggest that BSi was exported more efficiently than POC. The possibility that POC was preferentially lost after interception by sediment traps is also considered. Primary production and settling fluxes were higher in Saanich Inlet than in Jervis Inlet, while export ratios of OC and Si were similar in both fjords, away from the nepheloid layer near the sill of Saanich Inlet.     

Exploring the Effects of Shoreline Development on Fringing Salt Marshes Using Nekton,Benthic Invertebrate,and Vegetation Metrics

Fringing marshes are important but often overlooked components of estuarine systems. Due to their relatively small size and large edge to area ratio, they are particularly vulnerable to impacts from adjacent upland development. Because current shoreland zoning policies aim to limit activities in upland buffer zones directly next to coastal habitats, we tested for relationships between the extent of development in a 100-m buffer adjacent to fringing salt marshes and the structure of marsh plants, benthic invertebrates, and nekton communities. We also wanted to determine useful metrics for monitoring fringing marshes that are exposed to shoreline development. We sampled 18 fringing salt marshes in two estuaries along the coast of southern Maine. The percent of shoreline developed in 100-m buffers around each site ranged from 0 to 91 %. Several variables correlated with the percent of shoreline developed, including one plant diversity metric (Evenness), two nekton metrics (Fundulus heteroclitus %biomass and Carcinus maenas %biomass), and several benthic invertebrate metrics (nematode and insect/dipteran larvae densities in the high marsh zone) (p?<?0.05). Carcinus maenas, a recent invader to the area, comprised 30–97 % of the nekton biomass collected at the 18 sites and was inversely correlated with Fundulus %biomass. None of these biotic metrics correlated with the other abiotic marsh attributes we measured, including porewater salinity, marsh site width, and distance of the site to the mouth of the river. In all, between 25 and 48 % of the variance in the individual metrics we identified was accounted for by the extent of development in the 100-m buffer zone. Results from this study add to our understanding of fringing salt marshes and the impacts of shoreline development to these habitats and point to metrics that may be useful in monitoring these impacts.     

Minor Constituent Concentrations Measured from a High Altitude Aircraft Using High Resolution Far-Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy

Far-infrared emission spectroscopy has beendemonstrated to be a valuable method for remotesensing of trace species in the stratosphere, with theability to simultaneously detect a number of keychemical species. SAFIRE-A is a new far-infraredFourier Transform (FT) spectrometer which has beenspecifically designed to operate on board of a highaltitude aircraft in the lower stratosphere and uppertroposphere regions where relatively few remotesensing measurements have been made. Using newtechnology, the sensitivity of the FT spectrometermethod has been substantially improved for the longwavelength region. Results are reported formeasurements of O₃, HNO₃ and N₂O at 17and 19 km using a detection window near 23 cm^-1.Geographical and altitude variability of the volumemixing ratio of these constituents and their relativecorrelation are discussed. Ozone measurements agreewell with in situ measurements, except in regions ofstrong stirring and mixing associated with deformationof the northern vortex edge. Whilst SAFIREmeasurements of trace gases do not capture all of thelocal variability seen by rapid in-situ techniques,they can indicate horizontal variability close to, butnot intercepted by, the aircraft's flight path. Apossible detection of ClO at the low background levelsexpected outside the polar vortex is also reported.     

Automated Time Series Measurement of Microbial Concentrations in Groundwater-Derived Water Supplies

Fecal contamination by human and animal pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, is a potential human health hazard, especially with regards to drinking water. Pathogen occurrence in groundwater varies considerably in space and time, which can be difficult to characterize as sampling typically requires hundreds of liters of water to be passed through a filter. Here we describe the design and deployment of an automated sampler suited for hydrogeologically and chemically dynamic groundwater systems. Our design focused on a compact form to facilitate transport and quick deployment to municipal and domestic water supplies. We deployed a sampler to characterize water quality from a household well tapping a shallow fractured dolomite aquifer in northeast Wisconsin. The sampler was deployed from January to April 2017, and monitored temperature, nitrate, chloride, specific conductance, and fluorescent dissolved organic matter on a minute time step; water was directed to sequential microbial filters during three recharge periods that ranged from 5 to 20 days. Results from the automated sampler demonstrate the dynamic nature of the household water quality, especially with regard to microbial targets, which were shown to vary 1 to 2 orders of magnitude during a single sampling event. We believe assessments of pathogen occurrence and concentration, and related assessments of drinking well vulnerability, would be improved by the time-integrated characterization provided by this sampler.     

Development of cloud detection methods using CFH,GTS1, and RS80 radiosondes

The accuracies of three instruments in measuring atmospheric column humidity were assessed during an upper troposphere and lower stratosphere observation campaign conducted from 7 to 13 August 2009 in ...