From the Sun to the Earth: The 13 May 2005 Coronal Mass Ejection

We report the results of a multi-instrument, multi-technique, coordinated study of the solar eruptive event of 13 May 2005. We discuss the resultant Earth-directed (halo) coronal mass ejection (CME), and the effects on the terrestrial space environment and upper Earth atmosphere. The interplanetary CME (ICME) impacted the Earth’s magnetosphere and caused the most-intense geomagnetic storm of 2005 with a Disturbed Storm Time (Dst) index reaching ?263 nT at its peak. The terrestrial environment responded to the storm on a global scale. We have combined observations and measurements from coronal and interplanetary remote-sensing instruments, interplanetary and near-Earth in-situ measurements, remote-sensing observations and in-situ measurements of the terrestrial magnetosphere and ionosphere, along with coronal and heliospheric modelling. These analyses are used to trace the origin, development, propagation, terrestrial impact, and subsequent consequences of this event to obtain the most comprehensive view of a geo-effective solar eruption to date. This particular event is also part of a NASA-sponsored Living With a Star (LWS) study and an on-going US NSF-sponsored Solar, Heliospheric, and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE) community investigation.     

Metal dynamics in an Antarctic food chain

The concentrations of copper, zinc, cadmium, selenium and mercury were determined in eggs, muscle, liver, kidney and stomach content of nestilings and adults of the Antarctic petrel, Thalassoica antarctica, and its predator, the south polar skua, Chataracta maccormicki, from Svarthamaren, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The dominant food of the petrels is krill, Euphausia superba. The results show relatively high levels of cadmium in krill, which is assumed to be the main reason for the high levels of cadmium in petrels and skuas. Cadmium is almost absent in eggs, but accumulates very rapidly with age in nestlings. The copper concentrations in livers of nestling petrels reach very high levels during growth. This may be seen in connection with physiological development processes. Mercury seems to be accumulated with age and between trophic levels. Among the nestlings, the mercury levels decrease with increasing age, which may be accomplished by the excretion of mercury through the growth of feathers and as a dilution effect during growth. Selenium and mercury are inversely correlated in nestlings. The levels of zinc were similar for different nestling stages and between nestlings and adults in skuas and petrels.     

The structural state of iron in oxidized vs. reduced glasses at 1 atm: A57Fe Mössbauer study

A general model for the structural state of iron in a variety of silicate and aluminosilicate glass compositions in the systems Na₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Fe-O, CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Fe-O, and MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Fe-O is proposed. Quenched melts with variable Al/Si and NBO/T (average number of nonbridging oxygens per tetrahedrally coordinated cation), synthesized over a range of temperatures and values of oxygen fugacity, are analyzed with⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. For oxidized glasses with Fe³⁺/∑Fe>0.50, the isomer shift for Fe³⁺ is in the range ～0.22–0.33 mm/s and ～0.36 mm/s at 298 K and 77 K, respectively. These values are indicative of tetrahedrally coordinated Fe^3?. This assignment is in agreement with the interpretation of Raman, luminescence, and X-ray,K-edge absorption spectra. The values of the quadrupole splitting are ～0.90 mm/s (298 K and 77 K) in the Na-aluminosilicate glasses and compare with the values of 1.3 mm/s and 1.5 mm/s for the analogous Ca- and Mg-aluminosilicate compositions. The variations in quadrupole splittings for Fe³⁺ are due to differences in the degree of distortion of the tetrahedrally coordinated site in each of the systems. The values of the isomer shifts for Fe²⁺ ions in glasses irrespective of Fe³⁺/∑Fe are in the range 0.90–1.06 mm/s at 298 K and 1.0–1.15 mm/s at 77 K. The corresponding range of values of the quadrupole splitting is 1.75–2.10 mm/s at 298 K and 2.00–2.35 mm/s at 77 K. The temperature dependence of the hyperfine parameters for Fe²⁺ is indicative of noninteracting ions, but the values of the isomer shift are intermediate between those values normally attributable to tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Fe²⁺. The assignment of the isomer-shift values of Fe²⁺ to octahedral coordination is in agreement with the results of other spectral studies. For reduced glasses (Fe³⁺/∑Fe≈<0.50), the value of the isomer shift for Fe³⁺ at both 298 K and 77 K increases and is linearly correlated with decreasing Fe³⁺/∑Fe in the range of \(f_{O_2 } \) between 10^?3 and 10^?6 atm when a single quadrupole-split doublet is assumed to represent the absorption due to ferric iron. The increase in value of the isomer shift with decreasing \(f_{O_2 } \) is consistent with an increase in the proportion of Fe³⁺ ions that are octahedrally coordinated. The concentration of octahedral Fe³⁺ is dependent on the \(T - f_{O_2 } \) conditions, and in the range of log \(f_{O_2 } \) between 10^?2.0 and 10^?5 a significant proportion of the iron may occur as iron-rich structural units with stoichiometry similar to that of inverse spinels such as Fe₃O₄, in addition to isolated Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions.     

Proximity to ice fields and lake depth as modulators of paleoclimate records: a regional study from southwest Yukon,Canada

Pronounced climate warming during the past century has been well documented in high-latitude regions. Nonetheless, considerable heterogeneity exists in northern climate trends. We examined the roles of cryospheric landscape and lake depth in modulating the rate and magnitude of local climate responses through a paleolimnological study of lakes from southwest Yukon, Canada. By sampling lakes at varying distances from the Wrangell-St. Elias ice fields, we hypothesized that, for lakes of similar maximum depth, sites closest to the ice fields would be relatively complacent in terms of their chironomid and diatom assemblage changes over the past ~200 years. This hypothesis is based on the moderating effect of the glaciers on local climate, which would be most pronounced in the lakes nearest to the ice fields. However, given the known ecological differences between deep and shallow lakes, we further predicted that, for a given distance from the ice fields, a sediment record from a shallower lake would show the greatest change in stratigraphic subfossil assemblages. Because of the complicated shape of the ice fields, we applied the longitude for each site (which decreases from west to east) to approximate the proximity of our study lakes to the ice fields. Consistent with our predictions, we observed a space-transgressive pattern in the chironomid assemblage turnover that was associated with their proximity to the ice fields (r = ?0.75, P = 0.034, n = 8) across lakes of similar depth (mean maximum depth ± 1, SE = 18.1 ± 2.6 m). Considering a broader network of lakes that represented a greater range in maximum depth (4.9–29 m), we found that differences in subfossil chironomid assemblages between the modern and ca. AD 1800 sediment layers were strongly related to lake depth (r = ?0.77, P < 0.001, n = 15), but failed to detect a significant relationship with latitude or longitude (i.e. our proxy for proximity to the ice fields). Similarly, our comparative high-resolution analyses of two lakes with distinct lake morphometries, but similar proximities to the ice fields, demonstrated the predicted contrasting pattern: we observed pronounced post-1880 changes in the biotic assemblages in the shallow lake and a muted and delayed response (i.e. ~1970s) in the deeper lake. Our findings confirm that cryospheric landscape features can strongly modulate regional climate. Furthermore, our work shows that investigators need to be conscious of how climate change affects the structure and functioning of lakes of different typologies, which influences the way in which paleoclimate signals are recorded and interpreted.     

Contrasting interactions of sodium and potassium with H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O in haplogranitic liquids and glasses at 200 MPa from hydration–diffusion experiments

This study examines hydration–diffusion in the metaluminous haplogranite system at 200 MPa H₂O and 800–300°C. At 800°C hydration is accompanied by melting and uphill diffusion of sodium from anhydrous glass toward the region of hydration and melting, whereas potassium diffuses away from the hydration front and into anhydrous glass. Silicon and aluminum are simply diluted upon hydration. There is no change in molecular Al/(Na + K) throughout the entire hydration-diffusion aureole and, therefore, (1) there is no loss of alkalis to the vapor, and (2) K migrates to replace Na in order to maintain local charge balance required by ^IVAl. Alkali diffusion occurs over a viscosity contrast from 10^4.1 Pa s in hydrous liquid to 10^11.8–10^13.5 Pa s in anhydrous glass. From these results, we interpret that: (1) Na is structurally or energetically favored over K as a charge-balancing cation for ^IVAl in hydrous granitic liquids, whereas the opposite behavior has been observed for anhydrous melts, and (2) the diffusion of alkalis through silicate melts is largely independent of viscosity. Results from 600°C are similar to those at 800°C, but hydration at 300°C involves a loss of Na and concomitant increase in molar Al/(Na + K) in the hydration zone due to hydrogen-alkali exchange between fluid and glass. Hydration behavior at 400°C is transitional between those at 300°C and 600°C, suggesting that the change in hydration mechanism occurs near the glass transition.     

Effects of salinity on NH4 + adsorption capacity, nitrification, and denitrification in Danish estuarine sediments

The regulatory effect of salinity on nitrogen dynamics in estuarine sediments was investigated in the Randers Fjord estuary, Denmark, using sediment slurries and intact sediment cores and applying ¹⁵N-isotope techniques. Sediment was sampled at three representative stations varying in salinity, and all experiments were run at 0‰, 10‰, 20‰, and 30‰. The sediment NH₄ ⁺ adsorption capacity decreased markedly at all stations when salinity was increased from 0‰ to 10‰; further increase showed little effect. In situ nitrification and denitrification also decreased with increasing salinities, with the most pronounced reduction of approximately 50% being observed when the salinity was raised from 0‰ to 10‰. The salinity-induced reduction in NH₄ ⁺ adsorption capacity and stimulation of NH₄ ⁺ efflux has previously been argued to cause a reduction in nitrification activity since the nitrifying bacteria become limited by NH₄ ⁺ availability at higher salinities. However, using a potential nitrification assay where NH₄ ⁺ was added in excess, it was demonstrated that potential nitrification activity also decreased with increasing salinity, indicating that the inhibitory salinity effect may also be a physiological effect on the microorganisms. This hypothesis was supported by the finding that denitrification based on NO₃ ⁻ from the overlying water (D_w), which is independent of the nitrification process, and hence NH₄ ⁺ availability, also decreased with increasing salinity. We conclude that changes in salinity have a significant effect on nitrogen dynamics in estuarine sediments, which must be considered when nitrogen transformations are measured and evaluated.     

First-Order Chemistry in the Surface-Flux Layer

We have discussed the behavior of a non-conserved scalar in the stationary, horizontally homogeneous, neutral surface-flux layer and, on the basis of conventional second-order closure, derived analytic expressions for flux and for mean concentration of a gas, subjected to a first-order removal process. The analytic flux solution showed a clear deviation from the constant flux, characterizing a conserved scalar in the surface-flux layer. It decreases with height and is reduced by an order of magnitude of the surface flux at a height equal to about the typical mean distance a molecule can travel before destruction. The predicted mean concentration profile, however, shows only a small deviation from the logarithmic behavior of a conserved scalar. The solution is consistent with assuming a flux-gradient relationship with a turbulent diffusivity corrected by the Damköhler ratio, the ratio of a characteristic turbulent time scale and the scalar mean lifetime. We show that if we use only first-order closure and neglect the effect of the Damköhler ratio on the turbulent diffusivity we obtain another analytic solution for the profiles of the flux and the mean concentration which, from an experimental point of view, is indistinguishable from the first analytic solution. We have discussed two cases where the model should apply, namely NO which, by night, is irreversibly destroyed by interaction with mainly O₃ and the radioactive ²²⁰Rn. Only in the last case was it possible to find data to shed light on the validity of our predictions. The agreement seemed such that a falsification of our model was impossible. It is shown how the model can be used to predict the surface flux of ²²⁰Rn from measured concentration profiles.     

Lake Søbygaard: a shallow lake in recovery after a reduction in phosphorus loading

The development and recovery of a shallow and hypertrophic lake following a reduction in the external phosphorus load has been documented. In spite of this reduction, phosphorus concentrations and phytoplankton biomass in the lake water are still very high. The reason for this development can be explained by three main factors: (1): the sediment has been accumulating a large phosphorus pool which is now causing a high internal phosphorus load, (2) due to the shallow conditions, resuspension of the upper sediment often takes place because of wind action and thereby increases the phosphorus loading from the sediment, (3) the development of a large population of planktivorous fish decreases the zooplankton biomass resulting in the development of a large phytoplankton biomass.     

Mediterranean fin whales at risk from fatal ship strikes

This paper reviews and analyzes ship collision records for the relatively isolated population of fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea from 1972 to 2001. Out of 287 carcasses, 46 individuals (16.0%) were certainly killed by boats. The minimum mean annual fatal collision rate increased from 1 to 1.7 whales/year from the 1970s to the 1990s. Fatal strike events (82.2%) were reported in or adjacent to the Pelagos Sanctuary, characterized by high levels of traffic and whale concentrations. Among 383 photo-identified whales, 9 (2.4%) had marks that were attributed to a ship impact. The reported rates are unusually high for baleen whales. The high likelihood of unreported fatal strikes combined with other anthropogenic threats suggests an urgent need for a comprehensive, basin-wide conservation strategy, including ship strike mitigation requirements, like real-time monitoring of whale presence and distribution to re-locate ferry routes to areas of lower cetacean density, and reducing ship speed in high cetacean density areas.