The evolution of a tropical rainforest/grassland mosaic in southeastern Brazil since 28,000 C yr BP based on carbon isotopes and pollen records

The lack of paleoecological records from the montane Atlantic Rainforest of coastal Brazil, a hotspot of biological diversity, has been a major obstacle to our understanding of the vegetational changes since the last glacial cycle. We present carbon isotope and pollen records to assess the impact of the glaciation on the native vegetation of the Serra do Mar rainforest in São Paulo, Brazil. From ca. 28,000 to  22,000 ¹⁴C yr BP, a subtropical forest with conifer trees is indicative of cool and humid conditions. In agreement carbon isotopic data on soil organic matter suggest the presence of C₃ plants and perhaps C₄ plants from  28,000 to  19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. The significant increase in the sedimentation rate and algal spores from  19,450 to  19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP indicates increasing humidity, associated to an erosion process between  19,000 and  15,600 ¹⁴C yr BP. From  15,600 ¹⁴C yr BP to present there is a substantial increase in arboreal elements and herbs, indicating more humid and warmer climate. From  19,000 to  1000 ¹⁴C yr BP, δ¹³C values indicated the predominance of C₃ plants. These results are in agreement with studies in speleothems of caves, which suggest humid conditions during the last glacial maximum.     

Nonpoint pollution load in river catchments with different anthropic impacts: a case study in Southern Brazil

Diffuse or nonpoint source (NPS) pollution results in different pollutant concentrations, which depend on river catchments, land use and precipitation events and may vary along a single event. This study aimed to assess NPS pollution loads of organic matter, nutrients, bacteria and heavy metals in four river catchments associated with different types of land use in Southern Brazil. Cluster analysis was used to identify similarities between basins and main component analysis (PCA) to identify the main variables that characterize diffuse pollution in each basin. The use and occupation of the soil were determinant in the formation of the clusters. The basins with rural characteristics formed one group, whereas the basin with urban characteristic generated another group. PCA suggests that changes in the water quality of the catchments in this study can be explained by organic pollutants and farming activities. The Rancho do Amaral catchment, with 55.8% of native forest, displayed the lowest NPS pollution load for all tested parameters. The Alto da Colina catchment, with the largest urban area and largest agricultural land use (50%), showed the highest NPS for all variables in the study, even though it has the smallest area. The differences in pollutant loads can be attributed to the intense degradation processes associated with anthropic activities, such as urbanization, agricultural activity and the discharge of effluents, which are different for each catchment.     

Composition and sources of organic matter in atmospheric PM10 over a two year period in Beijing, China

The solvent-extractable organic compounds of atmospheric PM₁₀ samples, collected over two years beginning in 2003 at urban and suburban sites of Beijing, were characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The elemental carbon (EC) contents were determined and ranged from 4.3 to 42 μg m^− 3. Organic compounds in total extracts were identified and included unresolved complex mixture (UCM) and series of n-alkanes, n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); saccharides, alkanedioic acids, steroids, and other biomarkers and source tracers. The seasonal variations of their relative abundances are discussed. The abundance order for the major molecular classes in the particulate organic matter (POM) was the following: UCM > saccharides > n-alkanoic acids >n-alkanes > n-alkanols > PAHs > hydroxy-PAHs > other biomarker tracers. Based on the genetic significance of the molecular tracers, the dominant sources of POM are proposed for the two sampling sites. The emissions from fossil fuel use (both coal and petroleum products), biomass combustion, other pyrolysis sources, higher plant wax, and secondary products contribute > 98.0% of the POM mass. The fossil fuel use (average = 65% of POM) is the largest contributor and derives mainly from vehicular traffic.     

Investigation of natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbon inputs in sediments using geochemical markers. II. Sao Sebastião, SP--Brazil

The S?o Sebasti?o Channel, NE S?o Paulo State, Brazil, is an area of environmental interest of that state not only because of the tourism, but also because of the presence of the most important oil terminal of Brazil, the PETROBRAS Maritime Terminal (DTCS). Sediment samples were collected at 15 sites in the channel, extracted and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS for composition and levels of the following organic geochemical markers: aliphatic hydrocarbons (normal and isoprenoid alkanes), petroleum biomarkers, linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The total concentrations varied from 0.04 to 8.53 micorg g(-1) for aliphatics, from 51.1 to 422.0 ng g(-1) for petroleum biomarkers, from 12.6 to 27.7 ng g(-1) for LABs and from 20.4 to 200.3 ng g(-1) for PAHs. The PETROBRAS Maritime Terminal (DTCS), Sao Sebasti?o Harbor and sewage outfalls along the area had clear influences on the geochemical marker concentrations, especially at locales in the central and north parts of the channel.     

Correlation of irradiation-induced yellow color with the O<Superscript>−</Superscript> hole center in tourmaline

Tourmaline with the general formula XY₃Z₆(BO₃)₃Si₆O₁₈(OH,O)₃(OH,F) and the trigonal space group R3m (C_3v⁵) is known as a gemstone with great variety of colors. Some color centers are related to transition metal ions, and others to electron or hole traps. In this paper we report on a combined study using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), and the optical detection of EPR (ODEPR) on a yellow color center produced by -irradiation in colorless Li-bearing elbaite tourmaline from Brazil. The color center is an O^– hole trap center, which is stabilized within the plane spanned by three Y sites, and is located in the structural channels formed by Si₆O₁₈. We suggest that two of the Y sites are substituted by ²⁷Al and the other by ^6,7Li. During the irradiation process atomic hydrogen H⁰ is also produced, which shows the same thermal stability as the hole center (250 °C). Therefore, we assign H⁰ to be the local charge compensator for the hole trap. From the ODEPR measurements we conclude that the yellow color is caused by the O^– hole center. The large negative isotropic Al superhyperfine interaction of the O^– hole trap center is consistent with a calculation of the transferred hyperfine interactions by exchange polarization supporting the proposed defect model of an O^– at the O₁ sites, whereby the O^– is relaxed into the plane formed by three Y ions.     

Shrimp U–Pb zircon dating and palynology of bentonitic layers from the Permian Irati Formation, Paraná Basin, Brazil

This paper presents the first SHRIMP zircon age data from bentonitic ash fall layers intercalated with the Irati sedimentary rocks, as well as palynofossils retrieved from the PETROBRAS-Six mine, Paraná State, southern Brazil. The Permian Irati Formation is one the most important oil source horizons within the Paraná Basin, and consists mainly of siltstones, gray claystones, as well as organic-rich claystones intercalated with limestones. Zircon morphology based on cathodoluminescence images includes two different populations: a dominant population of euhedral, prismatic, elongate to acicular grains which are most likely related to an ash fall volcanism; and a population of rounded to large prismatic grains, that were interpreted as detrital grains. SHRIMP analysis performed on the euhedral and prismatic grains revealed an age of ca. 278.4 ± 2.2 Ma (7 points with 95% confidence) interpreted as the crystallization age of the volcanic eruption. Based on this new dating, the Irati Formation should be placed on the Lower Permian (Cisuralian), Artinskian in age, modifying substantially the traditional ages previously attributed to this unit. The palynofossils from this level include key species of the Lueckisporites virkkiae Zone (such as L. virkkiae, L. densicorpus, L. stenotaeniatus, Weylandites lucifer, Alisporites splendens). Typical species of this zone also occur in African and other South American (Argentina) Permian strata, allowing stratigraphical correlations. The origin of the ash falls is not clearly defined. It may be related either to calc-alkaline arc magmatism associated to the Sanrafaelica Orogeny (275 and 250 Ma) or to bimodal volcanic events associated to an early intracontinental rift developed within southwestern Gondwana at ca. 278 My. The dating of this unit is significative to calibrate biostratigraphic schemes along the Paraná Basin, as well as equivalent zones in Gondwana areas, mainly in its Occidental portion.     

Cambro-Ordovician Magmatism in SE Brazil: U-Pb and Rb-Sr Ages, Combined with Sr and Nd Isotopic Data of Charnockitic Rocks from the Varzea Alegre Complex

In the central-southern region of Espírito Santo State, southeastern Brazil, several granitoids with a variable composition intruded high-grade metamorphic rocks, in the northern segment of the Ribeira fold belt. A close relationship between hydrous and anhydrous facies is present in some of the plutons, including the Varzea Alegre Igneous Complex, which has an inner domain formed by gabbro, diorite and granite, and an irregular outer ring of charnockitic rocks. These green megaporphyritic charnockites have primary anhydrous mineral assemblage, I-type and metaluminous character, and high-K calc-alkaline signature. U-Pb zircon single crystal ages obtained by TIMS indicate crystallization at about 500 Ma, similar to other late tectonic plutons of this part of the Ribeira belt. Sr and Nd isotopic ratios ranging from 0.7078 to 0.7096 and 0.5114 to 0.5116 respectively, are interpreted to be indicative of a hybrid origin from crustal and mantle-derived magmas. A binary diagram using Sr isotope ratios also demonstrates that the genesis of the charnockites probably included both magma mixing and fractional crystallization processes.     

Cosmo-SkyMed X-band SAR data for classification of ice-free areas and glacier facies on Potter Peninsula,King George Island Antarctica

The climate change phenomena have been influencing terrestrial and glacial ecosystems around the planet. Maritime Antarctica is especially sensitive to these climate variations and over the last 50 years increasing global air temperatures have caused extensive glacial retreat. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential use of the SAR technology in monitoring the surface dynamics of the Potter Peninsula, King George Island, maritime Antarctica. An image generated by the SAR satellite COSMO-SkyMed, obtained on 2 February 2011, was used to extract the backscattering values of targets on the surface for further processing and classification, using a supervised statistic classifier of maximum likelihood for the determination of the surface classes. The average backscattering of water bodies presented high similarity, which made its separation unattainable. On the other hand, the surface classes’ bare ice and wet snow over the glacier presented distinct average backscattering values, which allowed an efficient and precise classification using only this parameter. The classification process showed satisfactory results for periglacial environments, presenting high fidelity to the field data.     

Effects of recent climate and environmental changes on the ecology of a boreal forest lake in Manitoba,Canada

Journal of Paleolimnology - Application of paleoenvironmental approaches provides insight into the magnitude and timing of responses to climate warming in aquatic-ecosystems of northern Canada. We...     

On the significance of incorporating shoreline changes for evaluating coastal hydrodynamics under sea level rise scenarios

Natural Hazards - The influence of including the dynamic effects of future shoreline changes associated with sea level rise into hydrodynamic modeling is evaluated for the coast of the Northern...