Petrology and genesis of natrocarbonatite

Microprobe analyses of phenocrysts and groundmass, and crystal-size distributions of phenocrysts of pahoehoe natrocarbonatite lavas of the 1963 eruption of Oldoinyo Lengai have been determined. Nyerereite phenocrysts are homogeneous, with average composition Nc₄₁Kc₉Cc₅₀ (neglecting F, Cl, P₂O₅, and SO₃) where Nc=Na₂CO₃, Kc=K₂CO₃, and Cc= (Ca,Sr)CO₃. Gregoryite phenocrysts have turbid, pale brown, oscillatorily zoned cores (average composition Nc₇₇Kc₅Cc₁₈) with 0–30% oriented inclusions of exsolved nyerereite. Overgrowths on gregoryites (30 m wide) are relatively sodic (Nc₈₁Kc₄Cc₁₅) and are free of inclusions. Cores and rims are rich in SO₃ (4%) and P₂O₅ (2%). Blebs of pyrite-alabandite mixtures (100 m) occur in the groundmass. The groundmass has the simplified composition Nc₆₅Kc₁₅Cc₂₀, less calcic than the composition of the 1-kbar nyerereite+gregoryite +liquid cotectic in the ternary system Nc-Kc-Cc. Groundmass quench growth of alkali halides + carbonate was followed by slower growth of coarse-grained and irregular gregoryite +KCl+BaCO₃. Crystal size distributions of gregoryite and nyerereite in one sample are linear, implying little loss or gain of phenocrysts by crystal settling. AverageG is 0.15 mm, compared toG=0.03 mm for combeite phenocrysts from consanguineous nephelinite. Assuming an equal residence time () for both lavas, the apparent crystal growth rate (G) in carbonate melt is 5 times greater than in peralkaline undersaturated silicate melt. Data from experiments with natrocarbonatite and related synthetic systems indicate that Na–K–Ca carbonatite magmas which crystallize calcite cannot fractionate to nyerereite+gregoryite +liquid assemblages. Natrocarbonatites plot in the liquidus field of nyerereite, and minor fractionation of nyerereite to produce the erupted lavas is indicated. The term natrocarbonatite has been inappropriately applied to other eruptive rocks with calcite phenocrysts, and the only known occurrence of gregoryite-bearing natrocarbonatite is Oldoinyo Lengai. Natrocarbonatite probably originates by liquid immiscibility from strongly peralkaline nephelinites, which have also been erupted at Oldoinyo Lengai.     

Role of lipid/water partitioning and membrane composition in the uptake of organochlorine pesticides into a freshwater mussel

The aim of this investigation is to understand the factors influencing uptake of persistent organochlorine pesticides into a freshwater mussel (Sphaerium corneum). Previous work has shown that although a substantial proportion of dieldrin is bound to particulates in the river system, uptake is from the dieldrin in solution. This suggests partitioning of the hydrophobic xenobiotics into membranes as the major route of entry. Membrane composition was established using lipid fractionation into neutral lipids and phospholipids followed by derivatisation to fatty acid methyl esters and estimation using GC/FID. Membrane composition varied with acclimation temperature over the range 5–20°C. Dieldrin concentrations in the mussel at equilibrium with 2000 ng dieldrin/litre water burden were studied at one temperature under laboratory conditions using animals acclimated to different temperatures. Any differences may be explicable in terms of effects of membrane composition on partitioning or other physiological adaptations. To establish which of these factors is most significant a membrane fragment partition system has been analysed in vitro. Preliminary results indicate that although water/lipid partitioning may be important in entry (and exit) of non-polar xenobiotics, significant differences could not be found using current methods. The role of membrane composition and therefore temperature history of the organism may still be significant. The implications of this for attempted correlations between bioaccumulation factors and simple octanol/water partition coefficients are discussed.     

Influence of parasitism in controlling the health, reproduction and PAH body burden of petroleum seep mussels

Petroleum seep mussels are often exposed to high hydrocarbon concentrations in their natural habitat and, thus, offer the opportunity to examine the relationship between parasitism, disease and contaminant exposure under natural conditions. This is the first report on the histopathology of cold-seep mussels. Seep mussels were collected by submersible from four primary sites in the Gulf of Mexico, lease blocks Green Canyon (GC) 184, GC-234, GC-233, and Garden Banks 425 in 550–650 m water depth. Five types of parasites were identified in section: (1) gill “rosettes” of unknown affinity associated with the gill bacteriocytes, (2) gill “inclusions” similar to chlamydia/rickettsia inclusions, (3) extracellular gill ciliates, (4) body “inclusions” that also resemble chlamydial/rickettsial inclusions, and (5) Bucephalus-like trematodes. Comparison to shallow-water mytilids demonstrates that: (1) both have similar parasite faunas; (2) seep mytilids are relatively heavily parasitized; and (3) infection intensities are extremely high in comparison to shallow-water mytilids for Bucephalus and chlamydia/rickettsia. In this study, the lowest prevalence for chlamydia/rickettsia was 67%. Prevalences of 100% were recorded from three populations. Bucephalus prevalence was 70% in three of 10 populations. The parasite fauna was highly variable between populations. Some important parasites were not observed in some primary sites. Even within primary sites, some important parasites were not observed in some populations. Bucephalus may exert a significant influence on seep mussel population dynamics. Forty percent of the populations in this study are severely reproductively compromised by Bucephalus infection. Only a fraction of petroleum seep mussel populations are maintaining the entire beta-level population structure of this species. Variation in two parasites, gill ciliates and Bucephalus, explained most of the variation in PAH body burden between mussel populations. PAHs are known to be sequestered preferentially in gametic tissue. Bucephalus would be expected to reduce overall body burden, at high infection intensities, by replacing gametic tissue. PAH concentrations exceeded 1 ppm in 4 of 9 populations, a ratio significantly higher than the 8 of 30 mussel locales in the NOAA Mussel Watch Program. Only five Mussel Watch locales exceeded the highest value for a petroleum seep population. Digestive gland and gill tissue atrophy were not significantly correlated with PAH body burden, even though some populations were characterized by body burdens exceeding 1 ppm, suggesting that seep mussels may not be as sensitive to PAH exposure as are some shallow-water mytilid populations.     

Interdecadal Variation of the Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front: A Physical-Biological Model Simulation between 1960 and 1990

The interdecadal climate variability affects marine ecosystems in both the subtropical and subarctic gyres, consequently the position of the Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front (TZCF). A three-dimensional physical-biological model has been used to study interdecadal variation of the TZCF using a retrospective analysis of a 30-year (1960–1990) model simulation. The physical-biological model is forced with the monthly mean heat flux and surface wind stress from the COADS. The modeled winter mixed layer depth (MLD) shows the largest increase between 30°N and 40°N in the central North Pacific, with a value of 40–60% higher during 1979–90 relative to 1964–75 values. The winter Ekman pumping velocity difference between 1979–90 and 1964–75 shows the largest increase located between 30°N and 45°N in the central and eastern North Pacific. The modeled winter surface nitrate difference between 1979–90 and 1964–75 shows increase in the latitudinal band between 30°N and 45°N from the west to the east (135°E–135°W), the modeled nitrate concentration is about 10 to 50% higher during the period of 1979–90 relative to 1964–75 values depending upon locations. The increase in the winter surface nitrate concentration during 1979-90 is caused by a combination of the winter MLD increase and the winter Ekman pumping enhancement. The modeled nitrate concentration increase after 1976–77 enhances primary productivity in the central North Pacific. Enhanced primary productivity after the 1976–77 climatic shift contributes higher phytoplankton biomass and therefore elevates chlorophyll level in the central North Pacific. Increase in the modeled chlorophyll expand the chlorophyll transitional zone and push the TZCF equatorward. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.