Carbon isotopic fractionation in lipids from methanotrophic bacteria: relevance for interpretation of the geochemical record of biomarkers

Experiments with cultured aerobic methane oxidising bacteria confirm that their biomarker lipids will be significantly depleted in 13C compared to the substrate. The methanotrophic bacteria Methylococcus capsulatus and Methylomonas methanica, grown on methane and using the RuMP cycle for carbon assimilation, show maximum 13C fractionation of approximately 30% in the resultant biomass. In M. capsulatus, the maximum fractionation is observed in the earliest part of the exponential growth stage and decreases to approximately 16% as cells approach stationary phase. This change may be associated with a shift from the particulate form to the soluble form of the methane monooxygenase enzyme. Less than maximum fractionation is observed when cells are grown with reduced methane availability. Biomass of M. capsulatus grown on methanol was depleted by 9% compared to the substrate. Additional strong 13C fractionation takes place during polyisoprenoid biosynthesis in methanotrophs. The delta 13C values of individual hopanoid and steroid biomarkers produced by these organisms were as much as l0% more negative than total biomass. In individual cultures, squalene was 13C-enriched by as much as 14% compared to the triterpane skeleton of bacteriohopaneaminopentol. Much of the isotopic dispersion in lipid metabolites could be attributed to shifts in their relative abundances, combined with an overall reduction in fractionation during the growth cycle. In cells grown on methanol, where there was no apparent effect of growth stage on overall fractionation there were still significant isotopic differences between closely related lipids including a 5.3% difference between the hopane and 3 beta-methylhopane skeletons. Hopane and sterane polyisoprenoids were also 13C-depleted compared to fatty acids. These observations have significant implications for the interpretation of specific compound isotopic signatures now being measured for hydrocarbons and other lipids present in sediments and petroleum. In particular, biomarker lipids produced by a single organism do not necessarily have the same carbon isotopic composition.     

新疆地震预报研究

新疆的地震预报是1970年开始的。二十多年来在“边观测、边研究、边预报”、“多路探索、多兵种联合作战”、“走综合预报之路”的方针指导下取得了长足的进展。建设了43个地震台站,投入189套仪器,建成了遍布全疆的地震无线通讯网,开展了历史地震调查和地震烈度区划工作,建立健全了地震会商预报制度,进行了多方面的地震预报研究。实际地震预报统计分析表明,扣除自然发震概率之后,趋势预报的成功率约0.3,短临预报的成功率约0.1。在前兆台网控制范围内取得了一些震例,说明地震确实是有前兆的,但又是非常复杂的。地震预报作为科学难题还有漫长的路要走。作者简要地讨论了地震观测的间接性和地震异常的离散性、难以区别的地震异常和地壳变动异常、建立在复杂现象基础上的地震前兆以及地震的混沌性对地震预报的影响等科学问题。     

西秦岭“混杂堆积”及构造发展史

近年来,国内外不少地学工作者对板块构造进行了大量的研究工作,有人还对隐生宙的板块活动进行了探讨。混杂堆积(Mélange)作为板块构造的重要记录,在滨太平洋及特堤斯构造带极为发育。如美国西部的佛兰西斯堪混杂堆积,我国台湾东部的利吉层混杂堆积,土耳其东     

Population pressure and land use change: from tree crops to sawah in Northwestern Kalimantan,Indonesia

The author describes the role of population pressure in the current transition from tree crops to wet rice cultivation (sawah) in Northwestern Kalimantan, Indonesia. He contends that this change is occurring "because the senescent trees no longer produce enough commodities to exchange for rice to feed an enlarged population." The historical background is described, policies of the Indonesian government are discussed, and data are presented on the rate of population growth     

冲积平原区土壤元素组成特征及其示踪作用

应用土壤元素组成特征研究基础地质问题是覆盖区多目标地球化学调查工作后项重要任务。通过对珠江三角洲，江汉平原，成都盆地3个冲积平原区土壤元素组成特征的研究，探讨了其对土壤成壤母质特性的示踪作用，为今后开展类似的研究工作提供了一种思路。     

高山峡谷区影响土壤测量找矿效果的元素表生活动特性研究

研究发现，高山峡谷区内土壤中元素的表生活动以表生富集作用为主，元素表征富集作用的程度、富集层位和粒级等受矿化作用和自然风化作用双重影响。非矿化地段土壤中元素的表生富集程度较矿化带处土壤中元素表生富集程度更强；矿化带处B层土壤比A层土壤中元素的富集强度稍大，元素明显地富集在粗粒级组分中；近矿（化）带的非矿化地段，A、B两层土壤仍受到矿化组分的影响，A层土壤比B层土壤受到的影响更加明显，粗粒级组分比细粒级组分反映敏感，C层土壤中元素在细粒级组分中轻微富集。根据本次研究结果，调整了高山峡谷区土壤测量工作方法，经试点测量验证，找矿效果良好。     

江苏省“十五”期间环境地质工作方向初探

提出了江苏省急需解决的重大环境地质问题；分析了当前和未来社会经济发展对基础性、公益性环境地质工作的需求。在此基础上，确定了对江苏省社会经济可持续发展意义重大的环境地质工作方向。     

The newest observational evidence on asymmetrical deformation of the Earth

IntroductionWhat is the shape of the Earth? Does it change continuously? It is a scientific question since the ancient times and is still being observed and explored at present. In 250 BC, Greek scholar Eratosthene supposed the shape of the Earth to be spherical according to the observations to the Sun and estimated the perimeter of the Earth to be 4 000 km (King-Hele, 1976) according to the camel-walking distance. Until the 16th century, the Earth was considered to be a very symmetrical …     

分形在地貌学中应用的几个问题的分析

就实际地貌分形研究工作中经常遇到的截面约定、自仿射分形局域维与渡越长度、分维的比较以及过渡分形等几个问题进行了分析和探讨，并提出了在应用过程中的注意事项和解决方案。     

Quantitative reconstruction of the lake water paleotemperature of Daihai Lake, Inner Mongolia, China and its significance in paleoclimate

By measuring Sr/Ca ratios of the ostracod shells (Limnocthere cf. inopinata) in sediments of the Daihai Lake, and combined with Sr²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratios of the lake water, this paper obtained paleosalinity of the lake water. Vaporizing experiment of the lake water in laboratory showed that there was a quantitative relationship between salinity and oxygen isotope. Using this relationship, oxygen isotope values of the paleo-lake water were calculated. By measuring the oxygen isotope of the authigenic carbonate in the lake’s sediments, and in combination with the oxygen isotope values of the paleo-lake water, the paleotemperature of the lake water was calculated. Finally, based on these proxies, the paleoclimate in the lake basin was explored.