Microbial survival in space shuttle crash

A slow growing, heat resistant bacterium, identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Microbispora sp., was recovered from the wreckage of the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia (STS-107). As this organism survived disintegration of the space craft, heat of reentry, and impact, it supports the possibility of a natural mechanism for the interplanetary spread of life by meteorites.     

Distribution of contaminants in biota and sediments in the Musquash Estuary, Atlantic Canada, marine protected area site initiative and contaminant exclusion zone

The Musquash Estuary, one of the last ecologically intact estuaries in New Brunswick, has been designated an area of interest for a marine protected area (MPA) under the Oceans Act. The area has been assessed for contaminant background levels as required for establishing MPA environmental quality. American lobster (Homarus americanus), blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and sediments were collected for assessing contaminant levels and distribution in the harbour. Levels of contaminants from the indicator species and the abiotic component have shown: (1) two extremes of high and low Cu and Ag in lobster from the area; and (2) lower metal levels in inner Musquash Harbour sediments and mussels than in those from the harbour mouth. These suggest that deposition of contaminants into the Musquash MPA site was due to transport of contaminants by coastal currents from upstream coastal industrial activities. This reverse trend with higher contaminant levels in the biotic and abiotic components in the outer harbour than in the inner harbour differs from a contaminated harbour and suggests that a contaminant exclusion zone should be considered for controlling contamination from nearby coastal and estuarine industrial sites to protect the sensitive habitats within the marine protected area.     

Impact of erosion and accretion on the distribution of enterococci in beach sands

Bacterial pathogens in coastal sediments may pose a health risk to users of beaches. Although recent work shows that beach sands harbor both indicator bacteria and potential pathogens, it is neither known how deep within beach sands the organisms may persist nor if they may be exposed during natural physical processes. In this study, sand cores of approximately 100 cm depth were collected at three sites across the beach face in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, before, during, and after large waves from an offshore hurricane. The presence of DNA from the fecal indicator bacterium Enterococci was detected in subsamples at different depths within the cores by PCR amplification. Erosion and accretion of beach sand at the three sites were also determined for each sampling day. The results indicate that ocean beach sands with persisting enterococci signals could be exposed and redistributed when wind, waves, and currents cause beach erosion or accretion.     

Impacts of maintenance dredged material disposal on macrobenthic structure and secondary productivity

The results of a monitoring programme to assess the spatial impacts associated with ongoing dredged material disposal activity at a dispersive, coastal disposal site (southwest UK) are described. Benthic impacts were assessed using benthic community structure and secondary productivity estimates.Analyses of univariate indices (including secondary production) and multivariate community structure revealed differences between stations inside and those outside the disposal site were minimal. Generally, stations within and outside the disposal site were characterised by the same species. Regression models indicated that the variability in biological structure and secondary production was predominantly accounted for by natural variables (e.g., depth, sediment granulometry) with only a small amount of residual variability being due to contaminant variables. Thus, the elevated levels of certain contaminants in the vicinity of the disposal area were not sufficient to result in significant ecological or ecotoxicological changes. We ascribe such findings partly to the dispersive nature of the disposal site.     

Contaminants in cetaceans from UK waters: status as assessed within the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme from 1990 to 2008

Since 1990, tissue samples from UK-stranded and -bycaught cetaceans have been available for study of contaminant burdens. These have been used to study spatial and temporal trends in concentrations in UK waters, and to investigate potential associations between contaminants and health status. We describe the current status of cetaceans (primarily harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena) in UK waters in relation to pollution. Concentrations of BDEs, HBCD, and the organochlorine pesticides are declining. In contrast, concentrations of CBs have plateaued following earlier reductions due to regulation of use, and further reductions are likely to take decades. Blubber PCB concentrations are still at toxicologically significant levels in many harbour porpoises and regularly occur at even higher levels in bottlenose dolphins and killer whales due to their higher trophic level in marine food chains. Further reductions in PCB inputs into the marine environment are needed to mitigate risk from PCB exposure in these species.     

黄骅坳陷孔南地区沙河街组井震基准面旋回匹配

提出了井震基准面旋回匹配的概念与方法。该方法通过测井和地震层序地层分析,以高分辨率层序地层学的基准面旋回为约束,利用合成记录建立测井和地震反射之间的匹配关系。采用该方法可获得更可靠的井震匹配关系,并能赋予各主要地震反射轴的层序地层意义,搭建起地震层序地层与高分辨率层序地层之间的桥梁。孔南地区沙河街组30多口井的井震基准面旋回匹配研究结果表明：层序Ⅰ包括4个主要反射轴,A1、A2和A3分别代表了层序Ⅰ内部的3个四级层序初始洪泛面,A4反射轴相当于层序ⅠC3U旋回上升半旋回的初始洪泛面;层序Ⅱ内部主要包括B1和B2 2个正相位连续反射轴,分别代表了层序Ⅱ内部2个基准面旋回的洪泛面;层序Ⅲ内部主要发育了C1和C2 2个明显的正相位较连续的反射轴,其中C1相当于层序Ⅲ的C2U旋回与C3D旋回的分界,C2反射轴对应于层序ⅢC3U旋回的初始洪泛面。各三级层序内部的正相位反射轴通常为四级层序的初始洪泛面或最大洪泛面。     

辽吉古裂谷部分地区深部地质结构特征

在4条实测高精度重、磁剖面及MT剖面探测的基础上,结合区域地质资料及野外地质研究,对辽吉古元古代裂谷（简称辽吉裂谷）边界、内部地质结构和基底组成等深部地质问题进行了论述。 新获取的非震地球物理剖面为揭示辽吉裂谷的深部地质结构提供了重要信息,在MT剖面上发现沿连山关—赛马一线存在一个明显的南倾构造界面,该界面为控制辽吉裂谷北部边界的伸展断裂构造面,以往认为在本溪市—本溪县一线辽河群分布的北部边界应为辽吉裂谷的古地理边界;证实南北辽河群岩相的差异主要是由相变造成的;MT剖面揭示出辽吉裂谷内部具有复式褶皱结构特征,基底埋深可达10km以上;区域地质研究及重磁电联合反演结果表明辽吉裂谷的基底主要发育2种类型：一是太古代表壳岩花岗岩型;二是太古代花岗岩-古元古代花岗岩型。     

松辽盆地西缘断陷盆地特征及油气远景

大杨树盆地与松辽盆地及其他西缘盆地的对比, 发现它们具有类似的充填序列和构造演化历史, 表明这些盆地应是松辽盆地的一部分。目前, 在陆家堡凹陷中已发现具有一定规模的油田, 大杨树盆地深部发现良好的烃源岩, 这表明沿松辽盆地西缘发育的一系列断陷盆地具有良好的油气远景, 大杨树盆地是其中最具勘探潜力的盆地之一。     

岩浆泡破裂引发地震的模式——以吉林松原2013年地震群为例

2013年10月31日,吉林省松原前郭尔罗斯蒙古族自治县（44.60°N,124.18°E）发生震级为5.5级地震,此后的40 d内发生了700多次地震,其中5级以上地震5次。松原地区近年来地震活动频繁,2014年1月以来又发生4级以上地震9次、5级以上地震1次,震中处于松辽盆地油气田开采区,地震活动序列十分特殊。为了揭示松原地震的发震机制与发震模式,研究深部地质过程与地震的关系,根据此次实测的通过震中25 km长的大地电磁测深剖面,结合地热梯度、He同位素比值（³He/⁴He）、CO₂碳同位素、地震序列等资料的综合分析,发现震中地区存在两个位于不同深度的低阻体,地震发生与地幔深部岩浆活动有关;据此提出了一种新的地震发生模式——岩浆泡破裂发震模式,描述了来自地幔的基性岩浆通过向上侵入、在脆-韧性转换带附近聚集形成岩浆泡、岩浆泡破裂及岩浆泡上覆岩层中聚集能量引发岩层破裂产生地震的过程,并使来自地幔的无机成因的CO₂气在储层中形成CO₂气藏。该模式可以解释许多发生在大陆内部地震和深源地震的发生机制。     

油页岩原位加热温度场测温误差的评价

基于有限体积方法,对当前国内研究程度较高的IFCD原位开采技术进行数值模拟,分析测温井系统误差的形成原因与机理,并重点阐述测温误差的影响程度及变化规律。研究表明:不同材料之间的物性差异会对局部温度场的分布产生干扰,并使得测量值显著偏离真值,偏离程度由加热时间和热源间距共同控制。模拟过程的平均相对误差为3. 15%,最大相对误差可达15%。随着加热时间的延长,测温误差呈现出先增大后减小的趋势,而随着热源间距的增加,测温误差则先降低后增加。