Bioturbation, short-lived radioisotopes, and the tracer-dependence of biodiffusion coefficients

Bioturbation refers to the mixing of sediment particles resulting from benthic faunal activity. It is the dominant particle mixing process in most marine sediments and exerts an important control on diagenetic processes. In models, bioturbation is usually treated as a diffusive process where the biodiffusion coefficient (D_b) characterizes the biological mixing intensity. Biodiffusion coefficients are classically computed by fitting a diffusive model to vertical profiles of particle-bound radioisotopes. One peculiar observation is tracer-dependence: D_b values from short-lived tracers tend to be larger than those obtained from long-lived tracers from the same site. Recent theoretical work, based on random walk theory and Lattice Automaton Bioturbation Simulations (LABS), has suggested that this tracer-dependence is simply a model artifact and has concluded that the biodiffusion model is not applicable to the short observational time scales associated with short-lived radioisotopes. Here we have compiled a global dataset of D_b values obtained from different radiotracers to assess tracer-dependence from a data perspective. Tracer-dependence is significant in low-mixing environments like slope and deep-sea sediments, but is not present in intensely mixed coastal areas. Tracer-dependence is absent when the number of mixing events is larger than 20, or the potential length scale is greater than 0.5 cm. Roughly this comes down to tracer-derived D_b values greater than 2 cm² yr⁻¹. This condition is met for 68%, 50%, and 8% of published D_b values obtained from coastal, continental slope, and abyssal environments, respectively. These results show that short-lived radioisotopes are suitable to quantify biodiffusion mixing in sedimentary environments featuring intense bioturbation.     

Fish composition and assemblage structure in three Eastern English Channel macrotidal estuaries: A comparison with other French estuaries

This study has analysed for the first time fish composition and assemblage structures of three small macrotidal estuaries of the Eastern English Channel (EEC) and has explored the influences of 19 biotic and abiotic variables on the fish assemblages. Fish from Canche, Authie and Somme estuaries were collected during spring (June 2006 and May 2007) and autumn (September 2006) along the estuarine gradients using a 1.5 m beam trawl. Using identical sampling protocols, the study also analysed and compared for the first time taxonomic and functional aspects of the fish assemblages in 15 estuaries located along the Atlantic and English Channel coasts. SIMPER analysis showed high similarities in fish assemblages in the three EEC estuaries and during either spring or autumn periods. However, intra-estuary similarities were relatively low, indicating that fish assemblage structures (species richnesses or abundances) were more variable within the estuary (salinity gradient) than between estuaries and/or seasons (spring vs autumn). Although numerous environmental variables were included in the study, only 47% of the variability observed in the fish distribution was explained. Fish spatial variations in the EEC estuaries are mostly driven by abiotic variables as opposed to biological interactions. As indicated by CCA, salinity and muddy sediments were the two most important factors structuring the fish assemblages. The macrobenthos being very abundant in the EEC estuaries (580–1121 ind. m⁻²), the availability of potential prey is probably not a limiting factor in the utilization of estuaries by fish. Contrary to the majority of French estuaries dominated by estuarine species (ES), the fish assemblages of the EEC estuaries are clearly dominated by marine migrant (MM) species (65% on average) with high abundance of juveniles (mostly young-of-the-year). Cluster and SIMPROF's analyses distinguished the functional structure of the 15 estuarine fish assemblages into different clusters. The three EEC estuaries form a similar group with the largest French estuaries (Seine, Loire and Gironde). The latters were characterized by higher MM/ES ratio compared to the other French estuaries. Freshwater flow and tidal range were the main factors associated with this group of estuaries. The results of the present study do not indicate that anthropogenic impacts (chemical contamination) on estuaries affect their ecological functioning as described by the fish ecological guilds. It is suggested that the guild approach may not be useful to provide valuable information on the ecological status of estuaries.     

Plate Motion of India and Interseismic Strain in the Nepal Himalaya from GPS and DORIS Measurements

We analyse geodetically estimated deformation across the Nepal Himalaya in order to determine the geodetic rate of shortening between Southern Tibet and India, previously proposed to range from 12 to 21 mm yr^?1. The dataset includes spirit-levelling data along a road going from the Indian to the Tibetan border across Central Nepal, data from the DORIS station on Everest, which has been analysed since 1993, GPS campaign measurements from surveys carried on between 1995 and 2001, as well as data from continuous GPS stations along a transect at the logitude of Kathmandu operated continuously since 1997. The GPS data were processed in International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (ITRF2000), together with the data from 20 International GNSS Service (IGS) stations and then combined using quasi- observation combination analysis (QOCA). Finally, spatially complementary velocities at stations in Southern Tibet, initially determined in ITRF97, were expressed in ITRF2000. After analysing previous studies by different authors, we determined the pole of rotation of the Indian tectonic plate to be located in ITRF2000 at 51.409±1.560° N and ?10.915±5.556°E, with an angular velocity of 0.483±0.015°. Myr^?1. Internal deformation of India is found to be small, corresponding to less than about 2 mm yr^?1 of baseline change between Southern India and the Himalayan piedmont. Based on an elastic dislocation model of interseismic strain and taking into account the uncertainty on India plate motion, the mean convergence rate across Central and Eastern Nepal is estimated to 19±2.5 mm yr^?1, (at the 67% confidence level). The main himalayan thrust (MHT) fault was found to be locked from the surface to a depth of about 20 km over a width of about 115 km. In these regions, the model parameters are well constrained, thanks to the long and continuous time-series from the permanent GPS as well as DORIS data. Further west, a convergence rate of 13.4±5 mm yr^?1, as well as a fault zone, locked over 150 km, are proposed. The slight discrepancy between the geologically estimated deformation rate of 21±1.5 mm yr^?1 and the 19±2.5 mm yr^?1 geodetic rate in Central and Eastern Nepal, as well as the lower geodetic rate in Western Nepal compared to Eastern Nepal, places bounds on possible temporal variations of the pattern and rate of strain in the period between large earthquakes in this region.     

A gap in the North American Central Plains conductivity anomaly

The palaeotectonic models of the North American continent have been deeply influenced by the concept of a North American Central Plains conductivity anomaly (NACPCA) which was postulated as a result of large area, wide-spaced, array studies, using the Magnetic Deep Sounding (MDS) method.

A recent closely spaced magnetotelluric (MT) survey across this proposed anomaly near the Canadian-U.S. boundary by Jones and Savage (1986) failed to detect the NACPCA at the location suggested by the MDS. However, this survey did verify a conductivity anomaly discovered by Rankin and Kao (1979) and a new anomaly 75 km east of NACPCA. Our present study verifies this latter anomaly and quantitative results are presented. The striking isotropy in apparent resistivity does not prevent the interpretation of anomalous resistivity distributions. This is discussed in the text.

The failure of the MDS array studies to detect our anomaly is readily explainable by the wide station spacing; however, the failure of the MT survey to detect the NACPCA leads us to the conclusion that it may not be a continuous feature.     

Influence of water mixing on the inhibitory effect of UV radiation on primary and bacterial production in Mediterranean coastal water

The scaling of the solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280–400 nm) effect on phyto- and bacterio-plankton at the ecosystem level is difficult since its estimate is often based on short-time incubation experiments performed at fixed depths, neglecting the previous days’ radiation history and the variable radiation caused by vertical mixing. To examine this issue, we measured primary (PP) and bacterial (BP) production in samples from coastal water in the Northwest Mediterranean Sea incubated at fixed depths or moving vertically within the water column (0–8 m) with a periodicity of 22 min, exposed to full sun, PAR or maintained in dark. Three experiments were carried out on consecutive days to measure day-to-day variations in planktonic response. In surface waters, PP was inhibited by ~32 to 42% by UVR, and BP was inhibited by ~50 to 70% by solar radiation (UVR + PAR). We observed a general decrease in the integrated inhibition of PP due to UVR for both fixed and moving incubations over the 3 days from ~27% of inhibition to non-significant inhibition. In contrast, large discrepancies were observed in the integrated inhibition of BP due to solar radiation (UVR + PAR) between fixed and moving incubations. Whereas both type of incubations gave similar estimation of solar radiation inhibition on day 1 (~25%), inhibition became much higher for fixed incubation compared to moving incubation on days 2 and 3. Differences in responses between days suggest that light history, spectral quality, photoadaptation or acclimation may be important factors in daily observed responses. Our results also underline, for the first time, the importance of the vertical mixing in the BP inhibition by solar radiation.     

Recent advances on study of hadrosaurid dinosaurs in Heilongjiang(Amur) River area between China and Russia

Four main dinosaur-bearing sites have been investigated in latest Cretaceous deposits from the Amur/Heilongjiang Region: Jiayin and Wulaga in China (Yuliangze Formation) ,Blagoveschensk and Kundur in Rus- sia (Udurchukan Formation) . More than 90% of the bones discovered in these localities belong to hollowcrested lambeosaurine hadrosaurids: Charonosaurus jiayinensis at Jiayin,Amurosaurus riabinini at Blagoveschensk, Olorotitan arharensis at Kundur,and Sahaliyania elunchunorum at Wulaga. Flat-headed hadrosaurine hadrosau- rids are much less numerous,but appear well diversified as well: Kerberosaurus manakini at Blagoveschensk, Wulagasaurus dongi at Wulaga,and a new genus at Kundur. Theropods are represented by shed teeth and isolated bones; isolated scutes and teeth discovered at Kundur are tentatively attributed to nodosaurids. Palynologi- cal studies suggest that these sites are probably synchronous with the Lancian’ vertebrate localities of western North America,which represent the youngest dinosaur faunas in this area. However,the latest Cretaceous dinosaur assemblages are completely different in the Amur/Heilongjiang region (lambeosaurines abundant,ceratopsids absent) and in western North America (ceratopsids abundant,lambeosaurines extremely rare or absent) . This probably reflects some kind of geographical barrier between both areas by Maastrichtian time rather than strong differences in palaeoecological conditions.     

Stone runs in the Falkland Islands: Periglacial or tropical?

“Stone runs” is the Falklands vernacular term for openwork boulder accumulations, which include extensive blockstreams like the famous Darwin “stone-river” and associated features such as stone stripes. Since the early 20th century, they have been interpreted as the product of a suite of periglacial processes, including frost-wedging, gelifluction, frost heave, frost-sorting and snowmelt runoff. Following a literature review, the results of recent field investigations of the valley-floor blockstreams of East Falkland are presented. Access to the internal structure of these forms provides evidence for the existence of a three-fold profile, with clear vertical size gradation presenting striking similarities with an inverted weathering profile. Micromorphological analyses, SEM, XRD, thin sections and grain-size analyses lead to the hypothesis of an alternative model of stone run formation. It is suggested that the material forming the stone run profile lato sensu (including the superficial pavement) is not of periglacial origin, but derives directly from the stripping and accumulation downslope of a regolith, possibly Tertiary in age and formed under subtropical or temperate conditions. The valley-floor stone runs should, therefore, be considered as complex polygenetic landforms that may have formed according to a six-stage scenario, including in situ chemical weathering, regolith stripping by mass movements, soil formation, further regolith stripping, downslope accumulation and matrix washing-out (all phases possibly achieved by the Early Quaternary). Periglacial reworking of the stone run material would have operated at a “final” stage, i.e. during Quaternary cold stages, with boulder bioweathering and limonite-staining operating during the temperate intervals including the present one. The suggested antiquity of the Falklands blockstreams is in accordance with Caine's pioneer interpretation of Tasmania blockfields and with recent analyses and cosmogenic datings of blockfields from Scandinavia and North America.     

Le Léon : un domaine exotique au Nord-Ouest de la chaine varisque armoricaine (France)

Résumé

La synthèse des données structurales, pétrologiques, géochimiques et radiochronologiques permet d’avoir une vision nouvelle du Léon et de proposer un modèle d’évolution géodynamique dans cette région. Cette évolution, entièrement paléozoïque, débute par la mise en place de granitoïdes d’affinité calco-alcaline (orthogneiss de Brest), témoins probables d’une subduction ordovicienne corroborée par la présence de reliques d’un métamorphisme HP-HT (éclogites de Lesne-ven). Toutes les séries lithologiques seront ensuite soumises à une déformation tangentielle associée à un métamorphisme de type intermédiaire pouvant aller localement jusqu’à l’anatexie. Cet événement tec-tono-métamorphique correspond à une collision continentale dvonienne qui achève la période de convergence précédente. La suite de 1 évolution au cours du Carbonifère est intracontinentale. Elle est marquée par une succession d’événements plutono-tectoniques : mise en place vers 340 Ma de granitoîdes crustaux (St Renan-Kersaint) associés au cisaillement dextre nord-armoricain; mise en place vers 300 Ma d’ un ensemble granitique d’origine plus profonde (Aber - Mut) immédiatement suivi par des venues crustales (Ploudalmézeau-Kernil.s) associée au fonctionnement d’une nouvelle zone de cisaillement (zone senestre de Porspoder-Guisseny); mise en place enfin, vers 290 Ma, d’un dernier complexe granitique crustal (Brignogan-Plouescat) terminant avec les mierogranites du Bas-Léon l’évolution hercynienne de cette

La période antécarbonifère de l’évolution du Léon pose un problème lié à sa position géographique actuelle dans le prolongement du Domaine cadomien nord-armoricain peu affecté par les événements varisques. En réalité le Léon par sa structure et son histoire précoce (éohercynienne) possède plus d’affinités avec le Domaine sud-armoncain. L hypothèse d’une probable origine exotique du Léon est discutée.