Field methods for amending marine sediment with activated carbon and assessing treatment effectiveness

Previous laboratory studies have shown reductions in PCB bioavailability for sediments amended with activated carbon (AC). Here we report results on a preliminary pilot-scale study to assess challenges in scaling-up for field deployment and monitoring. The goals of the preliminary pilot-scale study at Hunters Point Shipyard (San Francisco, USA) were to (1) test the capabilities of a large-scale mixing device for incorporating AC into sediment, (2) develop and evaluate our field assessment techniques, and (3) compare reductions in PCB bioavailability found in the laboratory with well-mixed systems to those observed in the field with one-time-mixed systems. In this study we successfully used a large-scale device to mix 500kg of AC into a 34.4m(2) plot to a depth of 1ft, a depth that includes the majority of the biologically active zone. Our results indicate that after 7 months of AC-sediment contact in the field, the 28-day PCB bioaccumulation for the bent-nosed clam, Macoma nasuta, field-deployed to this AC-amended sediment was approximately half of the bioaccumulation resulting from exposure to untreated sediment. Similar PCB bioaccumulation reductions were found in laboratory bioassays conducted on both the bivalve, M. nasuta and the estuarine amphipod, Leptocheirus plumulosus, using sediment collected from the treated and untreated field plots one year after the AC amendment occurred. To further understand the long-term effectiveness of AC as an in situ treatment strategy for PCB-contaminated sediments under field conditions, a 3-year comprehensive study is currently underway at Hunters Point that will compare the effectiveness of two large-scale mixing devices and include both unmixed and mixed-only control plots.     

Extracting Holocene paleohydrology and paleoclimatology information from modern extreme flood events: An example from southern California

The extraction of paleohydrological and paleoclimatological information from a modern hydrological system, shown to represent unique and extreme hydroclimatological conditions, is illustrated by an example from the Mojave River drainage basin in southern California. The Mojave River allows only the most extreme floods to reach its terminal basin in the Silver Lake playa and to form ephemeral lakes. All the other floods are lost by transmission into the alluvial aquifer along its 200 km channel. This filtering out of regular floods by the river provides an essential tool in establishing a physical link between atmospheric and hydrologic conditions. We demonstrate such a link between anomalous, present-day atmospheric circulation patterns over the North Pacific Ocean, extreme storms in southern California that produced the heaviest precipitation on record, the largest floods of record in the Mojave River watershed, and ephemeral lakes in its terminal playa. This physical link determines the possible cause of the formations of perennial, short-duration, shallow lakes in Silver Lake playa during the late Holocene and characterizes the hydroclimatic conditions that prevailed during these lacustrine episodes. Hydrological simulations of this river and its filtering character demonstrate that these lakes could have formed only if the most extreme modern storms and floods were more frequent in at least an order of magnitude during specific time episodes. We conclude that such extreme hydroclimatic conditions occurred more frequent in past episodes during which the Holocene lakes formed. In turn, this conclusion indicates that the cause of these storms and floods, i.e. the anomalous atmospheric circulation pattern, must have been more frequent. This research outlines a way to extract information on Holocene climates in hydrologic settings that demonstrate a unique cause and effect relationship.     

Titius-bode series galaxy group red shift differences calculated from roots of the bessel equation

It has been shown in detail by Wells (Wells, 1986) that the Bode numbers and measured velocity ratios of the planets are accurately predicted by the eigenvalues of the Euler-Lagrange equations resulting from the variation of the free energy of the generic plasma that formed the Sun and planets. This theory is reviewed and extended to show that the equations make accurate predictions for all the major planets out to and including Pluto. The semimajor axes and velocity ratios of Pluto and Neptune are predicted exactly. The Bode numbers are shown in Table I to correspond to the roots of the first-order Bessel functions. The extrema of the roots of the zeroth-order Bessel function predict the ratios of the measured planetary velocities almost without error for the outer planets. Both sets of roots correspond to the same eigenvalue solution of the forcefree equation. The eigenvalues are set by the initial energy input to the plasma nebula. Both the Titius-Bode series and Kepler's harmonic law are predicted by the relaxed state solution of the free-energy equation for the generic plasma that formed the Sun and planets. Newton's law of gravitation is not used in the calculations. The solution makes exact predictions for the outer planets where the Titius-Bode series fails completely.The work of Arp (Arp, 1985) adds to the growing body of observable evidence of objects which appear to be attached to galaxies or galaxy systems but display red shifts, sometimes quite large, differing from those of the associated galaxies. Adding to the mystery and confusion are a series of objects that have quantized red shifts.It is widely recognized that the history of these objects involves extremely high energy processes. The solutions of the equations of the relaxed state of the resulting high energy plasmas is discussed and it is shown that the predictions of red shift frequencies are quantized and agree numerically with many of the quantized shifts reported by Arp and Sulentic.     

Hydrogen peroxide concentrations in the Peru upwelling area

The concentration of hydrogen peroxide was measured in waters off the coast of Peru during June and July 1983. The study period coincided with the end of the 1982/83 El Niño and the onset of coastal upwelling. Depth profiles of hydrogen peroxide concentration exhibit surface maxima and decrease with depth to the base of the mixed layer. Surface peroxide concentrations ranged from 0.8 to 5 × 10^?8 M. Below the mixed layer hydrogen peroxide was below the detection limit (5 × 10^?9 M). Diel variations were observed, with surface peroxide levels increasing during the day and decreasing at night. The nearshore station exhibited lower hydrogen peroxide concentrations than offshore stations, a reversal of the trend found in other coastal regions. This is attributed to the lack of coastal vegetation and runoff, and to active coastal upwelling of deeper water with low hydrogen peroxide concentrations.     

Microstructures of phosphatic porcelain from sintering to vitrification: Evidence from sherds excavated in Charleston,South Carolina

Eight phosphatic porcelain sherds recovered from various historical sites in Charleston were analyzed by electron microprobe. Some sherds contain sulfur (2.3–3.1wt.% SO₃); others contain only traces of this component. The analytical data suggest that the sulfurous sherds are Bow porcelain (London, Bowcock period, ca. 1755–1769). The origin(s) of the low‐S samples remains unidentified; one compositionally resembles “gold‐anchor period” (phosphatic) Chelsea porcelain (London, ca. 1756–1769) but its decoration is inconsistent with known wares produced by this factory during that era. The degree of vitrification is highly variable, particularly among the SO₃‐poor samples. The melt phase is strongly enriched in incompatible elements (Ti, Fe, Na, K). The phosphate phase [calcined bone ash (hydroxyapatite)] in poorly vitrified samples hosts minute melt blebs, but remains porous. With increasing vitrification, these melt blebs increase in size and begin to coalesce, ultimately forming ameboid patches up to ∼10 μm in diameter. In the most vitrified samples, the coalesced melt “leaks” into the matrix, leaving behind a phosphate phase that lacks pores and melt and has a lower CaO/P₂O₅ ratio (=2.7, molecular proportions) than either hydroxyapatite (3.3) or β‐whitlockite (3.0). The two varieties of phosphate occur in some poorly vitrified samples, suggesting the recycling of high‐fired wasters (as “grog”) in their ceramic pastes. Melt compositions vary with contiguous mineralogy, accounting for their divergence from the ternary eutectic in the Ca₃(PO₄)₂‐CaAl₂Si₂O₈‐SiO₂ system. The resorption of phosphate by the matrix melt virtually precludes recognition of anorthite formed by the “non‐phosphate glass equation.” © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sediment transport capacity and erosion processes: model concepts and reality

Sediment transport capacity, T_c, defined as the maximum amount of sediment that a flow can carry, is the basic concept in determining detachment and deposition processes in current process-based erosion models. Although defined conceptually and used extensively in modelling erosion, T_c was rarely measured. Recently, a series of laboratory studies designed to quantify effects of surface hydrologic conditions on erosion processes produced data sets feasible to evaluate the concept of T_c. A dual-box system, consisting of 1·8 m long sediment feeder box and a 5 m long test box, was used. Depending on the relative magnitudes of sediment delivery from feeder and test boxes, five scenarios are proposed ranging from deposition-dominated to transport-dominated sediment regimes. Results showed that at 5 per cent slope under seepage or 10 per cent slope under drainage conditions, the runoff from the feeder box caused in the additional sediment transport in the test box, indicating a transport-dominated sediment regime. At 5 per cent slope under drainage conditions, deposition occurred at low rainfall intensities. Increases in slope steepness, rainfall intensity and soil erodibility shifted the dominant erosion process from deposition to transport. Erosion process concepts from the Meyer–Wishmeier, Foster–Meyer and Rose models were compared with the experimental data, and the Rose model was found to best describe processes occurring during rain. A process-based erosion model needs to have components that can represent surface conditions and physical processes and their dynamic interactions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rigid unit modes at high pressure: an explorative study of a fibrous zeolite-like framework with EDI topology

We report a comparative study on the high pressure (HP) structural behaviour of a fibrous zeolite (with EDI topology) on the basis of rigid unit modes (RUM) modelling and previously published single-crystal X-ray diffraction. HP single-crystal diffraction data lead to a more precise determination of the elastic parameters (axial and volume compressibilities) useful to define the equation-of-state under isothermal conditions, and the structural refinements are useful to describe the main deformation mechanisms of the Si/Al framework and extra-framework content at high pressure. The RUM modelling is applied to simulate the compressive behaviour of the framework, under hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic conditions, using a minimum number of parameters, and to describe the deformation mechanism intuitively in terms of the rotations of the SiO₄ polyhedra. The local and global P-induced deformation mechanisms of the Si/Al framework observed in experiment (channel ellipticity, SBU rotation) are well reproduced by RUM modelling. The simulation of uniaxial compression (non-hydrostatic conditions) shows an interesting result on the structural behaviour. This comparative study tests the reliability of the RUM modelling in open-framework silicates with a complicated crystal structure.Electronic Supplementary Material: Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at     

The use of tracers to assess leakage from the sequestration of CO2 in a depleted oil reservoir,New Mexico,USA

Geological sequestration of CO₂ in depleted oil reservoirs is a potentially useful strategy for greenhouse gas management and can be combined with enhanced oil recovery. Development of methods to estimate CO₂ leakage rates is essential to assure that storage objectives are being met at sequestration facilities. Perfluorocarbon tracers (PFTs) were added as three 12 h slugs at about one week intervals during the injection of 2090 tons of CO₂ into the West Pearl Queen (WPQ) depleted oil formation, sequestration pilot study site located in SE New Mexico. The CO₂ was injected into the Permian Queen Formation. Leakage was monitored in soil–gas using a matrix of 40 capillary adsorbent tubes (CATs) left in the soil for periods ranging from days to months. The tracers, perfluoro-1,2-dimethylcyclohexane (PDCH), perfluorotrimethylcyclohexane (PTCH) and perfluorodimethylcyclobutane (PDCB), were analyzed using thermal desorption, and gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Monitoring was designed to look for immediate leakage, such as at the injection well bore and at nearby wells, and to develop the technology to estimate overall CO₂ leak rates based on the use of PFTs. Tracers were detected in soil–gas at the monitoring sites 50 m from the injection well within days of injection. Tracers continued to escape over the following years. Leakage appears to have emanated from the vicinity of the injection well in a radial pattern to about 100 m and in directional patterns to 300 m. Leakage rates were estimated for the 3 tracers from each of the 4 sets of CATs in place following the start of CO₂ injection. Leakage was fairly uniform during this period. As a first approximation, the CO₂ leak rate was estimated at about 0.0085% of the total CO₂ sequestered per annum.     

Preservice Primary Teachers’ Depth and Accuracy of Knowledge of Tropical Cyclones

Climatic hazards are a key feature of life. It is vital that teachers are knowledgeable about these phenomena in order to develop their students’ understanding of them. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine the accuracy and depth of preservice primary teachers’ (n = 430) knowledge of tropical cyclones. The findings suggest that prospective primary teachers hold alternative conceptions about the causes, spatial distribution, and impacts of these phenomena and that their explanations of processes lack structural complexity and integration. Issues raised by these findings and implications for teachers’ geographical knowledge and their professional standards and preservice teacher education are discussed.