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.     

Organochlorine contaminants in endangered Hawaiian monk seals from four subpopulations in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

We analyzed blubber and blood samples for organochlorines (OCs) from 158 Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) at four of their six primary breeding colonies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Levels of OCs in blubber were lower in adult females compared to juveniles or adult males, evidently owing to the transfer of these lipophilic compounds to pups by pregnant and lactating females. Concentrations of SigmaPCBs and p,p'-DDE in blubber generally increased with age until seals were sexually mature and then continued to increase with age in males after puberty. Average levels of PCBs and PCB toxic equivalents (TEQs) in blubber were significantly higher in adult male and juvenile seals at Midway Atoll than the same age class of seals at the other colonies. Unlike concentrations of OCs in blubber, circulating levels of OCs in blood did not vary consistently among age classes of seals or among breeding colonies. Though the concentrations of OCs measured in Hawaiian monk seals were generally equal to or lower than those reported for other pinniped species in the North Pacific Ocean, they were high enough in a few seals to potentially affect their health.     

In situ laboratory X-ray powder diffraction study of wollastonite carbonation using a high-pressure stage

A high-pressure gas stage, recently developed for in-situ X-ray powder diffraction studies of polymer crystallization under CO_2, has been used to observe the carbonation of wollastonite under various temperature/pressure conditions despite the fact that the stage was not designed for use with moisture-containing samples. The rate of carbonation of wollastonite at 60 °C was found to be pressure-independent. Additional experiments at 34.5 bar between 43 and 73 °C enabled an activation energy of 53 kJ mol⁻¹ to be determined for the rate-limiting step. This value agrees very well with a published value for the leaching of Ca from wollastonite in acidic conditions and suggests that Ca leaching is the rate-limiting step in wollastonite carbonation at these temperatures.     

Transition from calc-alkaline to potassium-rich magmatism in subduction environments: geochemical and Sr, Nd, Pb isotopic constraints from the island of Vulcano (Aeolian arc)

The problem of mantle metasomatism vs. crustal contamination in the genesis of arc magmas with different potassium contents has been investigated using new trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data on the island of Vulcano, Aeolian arc. The analysed rocks range in age from 120 ka to the present day, and cover a compositional range from basalt to rhyolite of the high-K calc-alkaline (HKCA) to shoshonitic (SHO) and potassic (KS) series. Older Vulcano products (>30 ka) consist of HKCA–SHO rocks with SiO₂=48–56%. They show lower contents of K₂O, Rb and of several other incompatible trace element abundances and ratios than younger rocks with comparable degree of evolution. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ranges from 0.70417 to 0.70504 and increases with decreasing MgO and compatible element contents. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios display significant variations (19.31 to 19.76) and are positively correlated with MgO, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.512532–0.512768), ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (15.66–15.71) and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (39.21–39.49). Overall, geochemical and isotopic data suggest that the evolution of the older series was dominated by assimilation–fractional crystallisation (AFC) with an important role for continuous mixing with mafic liquids. Magmas erupted within the last 30 ka consist mostly of SHO and KS intermediate and acid rocks, with minor mafic products. Except for a few acid rocks, they display moderate isotopic variations (e.g. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70457–0.70484; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=19.28–19.55, but ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.66–15.82), which suggest an evolution by fractional crystallisation, or in some cases by mixing, with little interaction with crustal material. The higher Sr isotopic ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.70494–0.70587) of a few, low-volume, intermediate to acid rocks support differentiation by AFC at shallow depths for some magma batches. New radiogenic isotope data on the Aeolian islands of Alicudi and Stromboli, as well as new data for lamproites from central Italy, are also reported in order to discuss along-arc compositional variations and to evaluate the role of mantle metasomatism. Geochemical and petrological data demonstrate that the younger K-rich mafic magmas from Vulcano cannot be related to the older HKCA and SHO ones by intra-crustal evolutionary processes and point to a derivation from different mantle sources. The data from Alicudi and Stromboli suggest that, even though interaction between magma and wall rocks of the Calabrian basement during shallow level magma evolution was an important process locally, a similar interpretation can be extended to the entire Aeolian arc. Received: 27 September 1999 / Accepted: 24 May 2000     

Comparative toxic effects of copper-based nanoparticles and their microparticles in Daphnia magna by using natural freshwater media

Copper-based nanoparticles (NPs) are being widely used in different application fields and their health impacts to aquatic environments represent a current concern. Few studies are available about their comparative toxicity with their bulks and ions under natural exposition in aquatic organisms. Thus, the toxicity of Cu and CuO NPs and their microparticle and ionic forms was assayed in the acute immobilisation test of Daphnia magna by using freshwater media. Electronic microscopy, laser doppler velocimetry, and dynamic laser scattering methodologies were used to NPs characterisation. The results indicated that CuNPs and CuONPs were more toxic than their microparticles. Among NPs, CuNPs showed higher toxicity than CuONPs. Copper-based nanoparticles showed similar hydrodynamic particle size and were agglomerated in culture media, suggesting toxic-ionic release relationship and corroborated by the high toxicity induced by CuSO₄. Additionally, water chemistry of natural freshwater used in the experiments also favoured the ion release of these NPs.     

Understanding the culture of natural disaster preparedness: exploring the effect of experience and sociodemographic predictors

Natural Hazards - Understanding the culture of preparedness is essential to improve public policies and programs aimed to promote population preparedness to cope with natural hazards. The present...     

A tribute to Edward Perry Glenn (1947–2017), who created a legacy of environmental assessment and applications within hydrological processes

This issue of Hydrological Processes is dedicated to Dr. Edward P. Glenn, a frequent contributor to the journal, who suddenly passed away in late 2017. The articles within this volume are by a number of his former co-authors and others who have been greatly influenced by his professional work on hydrological processes.     

Effect of an environmental flow on vegetation growth and health using ground and remote sensing metrics

Understanding the effectiveness of environmental flow deliveries along rivers requires monitoring vegetation. Monitoring data are often collected at multiple spatial scales. For riparian vegetation, optical remote sensing methods can estimate growth responses at the riparian corridor scale, and field-based measures can quantify species composition; however, the extent to which these different measures are duplicative or complementary is important to understand when planning monitoring programmes with limited resources. In this study, we analysed riparian vegetation growth in the delta of the Colorado River in response to an experimental pulse flow. Our goal was to compare ground-based measurements of vegetation structure and composition with satellite-based Landsat radiometric variables, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). We made this comparison in 21 transects following the delivery of 131.8 million cubic meters (mcm) of water in the stream channel during the spring of 2014 as a pulse flow and 38.4 mcm as base flows. Vegetation cover increased 14% and NDVI increased 0.02 (15%) by October 2015, and both variables returned to pre-pulse flow values in October 2016. Observed changes in vegetation structure and composition did not persist after the second year. The highest increase in vegetation cover in October 2014 and October 2015 resulted from species that could respond rapidly to additional water such as reeds (Arundo donax and Phragmites australis), cattail (Typha domingensis), and herbaceous plants. Dominant shrubs, saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) and arrowweed (Pluchea sericea), both indicative of nonrestored habitats showed variable increases in cover, and native trees (Salicaceae family) presented low increases (1%). The strong NDVI–vegetation cover relationship indicates that NDVI is appropriate to detect changes at the riparian corridor scale but needs to be complemented with ground data to determine the contributions by different species to the observed trends.     

A magnetic study of Etruscan bucchero pottery: An application of rock magnetism to archaeometry

We have applied techniques used in rock magnetism to the study of possible temporal changes in provenance and firing conditions of a collection of Etruscan bucchero pottery fragments representing the interval between 800 B.C. to 400 B.C. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such procedures have been applied to ancient ceramic wares. Our preliminary magnetic measurements demonstrate that this approach can provide useful archaeological information, as exemplified by the following results: (1) Bucchero ceramic styles sottile, spesso, and possibly pesante, contained magnetic particles of similar grain sizes, which suggested a common provenance and similar firing conditions for these pot typologies. (2) Ceramic styles buccheroid impasto and grey bucchero each had magnetic characteristics different from those in (1). However, too few samples of these were available for any definite conclusions. (3) The occurrence of magnetite, and not hematite, in all samples indicated that firing conditions were effectively reducing. (4) Variations in the amount of magnetite in different samples indicated that slight inhomogeneities must have existed in the iron oxide/hydroxide content of the local clay source. Most magnetic techniques are fast, easy, and generally nondestructive. Some magnetic properties, such as initial susceptibility, saturation remanent magnetization, and coercivity of remanence, can even be measured in the field. At the least, magnetic measurements can be used initially to discriminate among different groups of potsherds. Selected samples can then be analyzed with more elaborate methods of archaeometry.     

Molluscan assemblages from archaeological deposits

Research about the impact of prehistoric human subsistence strategies upon prey populations of shellfish is based on the assumption that trends in shell size are directly related to collection strategies. A shell midden on San Juan Island, Washington, where archaeological research is sponsored by the University of Washington and hosted by the National Park Service, provides large samples of shells from separate archaeological deposits. the shells from each deposit produce size-frequency distributions that vary in shape (modality). Because several factors (the original prey population, the method of collection and transport, the environment of deposition, and post-depositional processes) affect the size-frequency distribution differentially, the shell measurements do not provide the direct archaeological information expected.