Long‐term temporal and spatial patterns in bioeroding sponge distribution at the Abrolhos Bank,Brazil, Southwestern Atlantic

Bioeroding sponges belong to the most dominant bioeroders, significantly contributing to the erosion of coral reefs. Some species are tolerant or even benefit from environmental conditions such as ocean warming, acidification, and eutrophication. In consequence, increases in sponge bioerosion have been observed on some coral reefs over the last decades. The Abrolhos Bank is the largest coral reef system in the South Atlantic. It has been affected by sedimentation, eutrophication, overfishing, and climate change, mainly affecting coastal reefs, and at lesser intensity outer ones as well. This study aimed to describe spatial and temporal patterns in bioeroding sponge distribution in carbonate substrates in the Abrolhos Bank. Photo‐quadrats were used to compare bioeroding sponge abundance between two shallow reefs: a coastal, Pedra de Leste (PL), and an outer reef, Parcel dos Abrolhos (PAB). Each individual was delimitated over the substrate by determining the sponge surface through a line connecting the outermost papillae. The study was conducted over 6 years in 2008–2009 and 2013–2016. Four species of bioeroding sponges were identified: Cliona carteri Ridley, 1881, C. delitrix Pang, 1973, C. cf. schmidtii Ridley, 1881, and Siphonodictyon coralliphagum Rützler, 1971. The distribution and abundance of species varied between the inner and outer reefs and across the years, and displayed certain selectivity for the calcareous substrates recorded. Crustose coralline algae (CCA) were the main substrate excavated by the most abundant bioeroding species, C. carteri, and represented 70% of the substrate types occupied by this sponge (CCA, coral overgrown by CCA and plain coral). The highest abundance of bioeroding sponges observed in photo‐quadrats was 21.3 individuals/m² at the outer reefs (PAB) in 2014. The abundances or areal extents of bioeroding sponges were up to 10 times greater on the outer reefs than on the coastal ones, where sedimentation is higher and more strongly influenced by siliciclastic material. Moreover, a higher herbivorous fish biomass has been reported on outer reefs which could also influence the higher abundance of bioeroding sponges in outer reefs. During the study period of 6 years, an increase in bioeroding sponge abundance was observed at the outer reefs (PAB), with the sea surface temperature increase. As CCA have an important role in reefal cementation and carbonate production in the Abrolhos reefs, a bioerosion impact might be expected, in particular, on the outer reefs.     

Syntectonic emplacement of the Middle Jurassic Concón Mafic Dike Swarm, Coastal Range, central Chile (33° S)

The Concón Mafic Dike Swarm (CMDS) consists of basaltic to andesitic dikes emplaced into deformed Late Paleozoic granitoids during the development of the Jurassic arc of central Chile. The dikes are divided into an early group of thick dikes (5–12 m) and a late group of thin dikes (0.5–3 m). Two new amphibole ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates obtained from undeformed and deformed dikes, constrain the age of emplacement and deformation of the CMDS between 163 and 157 Ma. Based on radiometric ages, field observations, AMS studies and petrographic data, we conclude that the emplacement of the CMDS was syntectonic with the Jurassic arc extension and associated with sinistral displacements along the NW-trending structures that host the CMDS. The common occurrence of already deformed and rotated xenoliths in the dikes indicates that deformation in the granitoids started previously.The early thick dikes and country rocks appear to have been remagnetized during the exhumation of deep-seated coastal rocks in the Early Cretaceous (around 100 Ma). The remanent magnetization in late thin dikes is mainly retained by small amounts of low-Ti magnetite at high temperature and pyrrhotite at low temperature. The magnetization in these dikes appears to be primary in origin. Paleomagnetic results from the thin dikes also indicate that the whole area was tilted  23° to the NNW during cooling of the CMDS.The NNW–SSE extension vectors deduced from the paleomagnetic data and internal fabric of dikes are different with respect to extension direction deduced for the Middle–Late Jurassic of northern Chile, pointing to major heterogeneities along the margin of the overriding plate during the Mesozoic or differences in the mechanisms driving extension during such period.     

CrystalMom: a new model for the evolution of crystal size distributions in magmas with the quadrature-based method of moments

Nucleation and growth of crystals, and the resulting crystal size distribution, play a fundamental role in controlling the physical properties of magmas and consequently the dynamics of the eruptions. In the past decades, laboratory experiments demonstrated that size and shape of crystals strongly control the physical properties of magma and lava. Additionally, natural and experimental samples are usually characterized in terms of their crystal size distribution to link it with physical processes that are not directly observable, such as cooling or decompression mechanisms. In this paper, we present CrystalMoM, a new predictive model, based on the quadrature-based method of moments, developed for studying the kinetic of crystallization in volcanic systems. The quadrature-based method of moments, well established in the field of chemical engineering, represents a mesoscale modelling approach that rigorously simulates the space–time evolution of a distribution of particles, by considering its moments. The method is applied here, for the first time, for studying the equilibrium/disequilibrium crystallization in magma, modelling the temporal evolution of the moments of a crystal size distribution. The model, verified against numerical and experimental data, represents a valuable tool to infer the cooling and decompression rates from the crystal size distribution observed in natural samples.     

Using a groundwater quality negotiation support system to change land-use management near a drinking-water abstraction in the Netherlands

A negotiation support system (NSS) was developed to solve groundwater conflicts that arose during land-use management. It was set up in cooperation with the stakeholders involved to provide information on the impact of land use, e.g., agriculture, nature (forested areas), recreation, and urban areas, on the quality of both infiltrating and abstracted groundwater. This NSS combined simulation programs that calculate (1) the concentrations of nitrate in shallow groundwater for each land-use area and (2) the transport of nitrate in the groundwater-saturated zone. The user interface of the NSS enabled scenario analyses. The NSS was validated at a drinking-water abstraction near Holten (the Netherlands) using a spatial planning process aimed at sustainable land-use and groundwater-resource management. Two land-use scenarios were considered: a base scenario reflecting the autonomous development and an adapted land-use scenario. The calculated results for shallow groundwater provided an explicit spatial overview of the impact of historical land use and N application on the quality of abstracted groundwater as well as insight into the impact of changes in land use and N application. Visualization of the conflicting interests of agriculture and the drinking-water abstraction helped all stakeholders accept the necessary changes in land use identified by the adapted land-use scenario of the NSS. These changes were included in the preferred land-use management option in the regional planning process, which has since been formalized. The NSS provided system insight, scoping analyses, and education, in addition to generating quantitative information on the impact of land-use functions on groundwater quality.     

Response of littoral chironomid communities and organic matter to late glacial lake—level,vegetation and climate changes at Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany,Italy)

This study focuses on the response of lacustrine littoral chironomid communities to late glacial changes in limnological, environmental and climate conditions in the Mediterranean context. Late glacial chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) assemblages, organic petrography and geochemistry were analysed in a sediment core from the littoral zone of Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany, Italy), where the lake-level fluctuations and the vegetation history have been previously reconstructed. Comparison of the chironomid stratigraphy to other proxies (pollen assemblages, organic petrography and geochemistry, lake-level) and regional climate reconstruction suggested the predominant influence of lake-level changes on the littoral chironomid fauna. The main lowering events that occurred during the Oldest and the Younger Dryas were followed by higher proportions of taxa typical of littoral habitats. A complementary study of organic matter suggested the indirect impact of lake-level on the chironomids through changes in humic status and habitat characteristics, such as the type of substrate and aquatic macrophyte development. Several chironomid taxa, such as Glyptotendipes, Microtendipes and Cricotopus type patens, were identified as possible indicators of low lake-level in the late glacial records. Nevertheless, this study suggested that parallel analyses of organic matter and chironomid assemblages may be needed to circumvent misinterpretation of littoral chironomid assemblage stratigraphy. There was a weak response of the chironomid assemblages to small lake-level lowerings that corresponded to the Older Dryas and Preboreal oscillations. A higher level of determination, e.g. to the species group level, may be necessary to increase the sensibility of the indicators to lake-level changes.     

Nutrient budgets and trophic state in a hypersaline coastal lagoon: Lagoa de Araruama, Brazil

Lagoa de Araruama in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a hypersaline lagoon with salinity varying spatially from 45 to 56. We collected water samples during monthly cruises throughout the lagoon, and along the streams feeding the system, from April 1991 to March 1992. Nutrients and other water quality parameters exhibited great spatial and temporal variations. Mass balance calculations indicate large amounts of anthropogenic nutrient inputs. The data indicate that the lagoon currently is oligotrophic but is in a state of transition to become a mesotrophic system. Molar dissolved inorganic nitrogen:dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIN/DIP) varied between 2.2:1 and 659:1 with a volume-weighted average of 22:1. The high DIN/DIP ratio contrasts with that found in nearby lagoons, suggesting that phytoplankton primary production is limited by phosphorus in Lagoa de Araruama. The major loss of DIP is apparently driven by biological assimilation and diagenic reactions in the sediments. Calculations indicate that the lagoon is slightly net autotrophic at +0.9 mol C m⁻² yr⁻¹. This suggests that the biomass of the primary producers is restricted by phosphorus availability. Phosphorus retention in the sediment and the hypersaline state of the lagoon prevent changes in autotrophic communities and the formation of eutrophic conditions.     

Water Availability of Sub-Basins with Restrictions on Use under Climate Change Scenarios in Brazil

Water Resources - The Queima Pé Stream Basin (QPSB) and Ararão River Basin (ARB) in central Brazil have had recurrent problems with water scarcity. This may get worse under anthropogenic...     

A peak acceleration threshold for soil liquefaction: lessons learned from the 2012 Emilia earthquake (Italy)

National and international seismic codes and recommendations provide criteria for liquefaction exclusion based on a peak ground acceleration (PGA) threshold value. In this paper, after a brief review of the procedures and the values suggested in those documents, a database of liquefaction case histories was created, exploiting the background data used in the most relevant verification charts, currently employed in research and professional practice. This dataset was used to identify, on the basis of simple statistical analyses, a PGA threshold on the free ground surface below which liquefaction is unlikely to occur, regardless of the geological site conditions. The calculated value, which is on the order of 0.07–0.1 g, based on the model employed to fit the data, was analyzed in light of information collected during the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence in Italy, which produced many liquefaction events triggered by low acceleration values. The case history of the Emilia earthquake advises setting a PGA threshold for code and recommendations at the lower probability level of occurrence, in the order of 1 %.     

Origin of the high variability of water mineral content in the bedrock aquifers of Southern Madagascar

This study assesses the causes of the high spatial variability of the mineral content of groundwater in crystalline bedrock of Southern Madagascar. Although many kilometres from the coast and at a mean altitude of 400 m a.s.l, wells drilled in this area produce water with electrical conductivities in the range of 300–30,000 μS cm⁻¹ with a high spatial variability. Chemical and isotopic data are used to identify the processes involved in the groundwater mineralization. It is shown that the chemical composition of the groundwater in this region has its origin in (i) normal silicate and carbonate weathering reactions and (ii) input of marine salts, probably via rainfall recharge, modified by evapo-concentrative processes probably including precipitation and re-dissolution of secondary evaporites in the unsaturated zone. To obtain a better understanding of the spatial salinity distribution, well parameters such as yields, weathered zone thickness, weathered materials and morphological positions (upper slope, mid-slope, lower slope or valley bottom) are scrutinized.

A correlation was found between high salinity and low flow, shallow groundwater environments (flat hill tops, valley bottoms, weakly developed and clayey weathered zones) and between low salinity and high flow environments (granular, well-developed weathered zones and situation on valley slopes).