Seagrass colonization: Knock-on effects on zoobenthic community,populations and individual health

This study provided evidence that Zostera noltii presence affects macrofauna community structure independently from median sediment grain-size and that the notion of ecosystem health is rather subjective: in the present case, we recorded “good health” in terms of seagrass development, “no impact” in terms of macrobenthic biotic indices and “negative effect” for a given key-population. The occurrence and development of a Z. noltii seagrass bed was surveyed at Banc d’Arguin, Arcachon Bay (France), to estimate the modification of the macrozoobenthic community and of the dynamics of a key-population for the local ecosystem, – the cockle Cerastoderma edule. Even though median grain-size of the sediment decreased only at the very end of the survey, i.e. when seagrass totally invaded the area, most of the macrofauna community characteristics (such as abundance and biomass) increased as soon as Z. noltii patches appeared. The structure of the macrofauna community also immediately diverged between sand and seagrass habitats, without however modifying the tested biotic indices (BENTIX, BOPA, AMBI). The health of the cockle population (growth, abundance, recruitment) was impacted by seagrass development. Related parasite communities slowly diverged between habitats, with more parasites in the cockles from seagrass areas. However, the number of parasites per cockle was always insufficient to alter cockle fitness.     

The position and role of Wuhan City in the regional economic macro-strategies of China

Taking the development of export-oriented economy (the strength and temporal sequence) as a main line, this paper discusses and analyses the position and role of Wuhan, which is the biggest metropolis in the central China and the middle section of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River basin, in the regional economic macro-strategy of China from a new visual sight. On the basis of the background of a large economic triangle constructed by Hongkong, Wuhan and Shanghai, the paper discusses the relations between Wuhan and Hongkong, Wuhan and Shanghai. The aim of the paper is to provide some new evidences for the development of great regional economy of China under the copropelling of the three great economic pivots. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

MHD oscillations in the solar spike radiation

In this paper the observed 1.4–1.6 s quasi-periodic oscillations in the spike radiation of the microwave outburst of 1981 May 16 are analysed in teras of MHD waves. We point out that the fast magnetoacoustic waves (“sausage” mode) propagating inside and outside a loop can modulate the magnetic field and the pitch angle distribution of the electron beams in the source region. The growth rate of electron-cyclotron-maser instability is then affected to give rise to the quasi-periodic oscillations. Quantitative estimates of relevant physical parameters are given.     

Cosmic rays at ultra high energies (Neutrinos!)

Resonant photo-pion production with the cosmic microwave background predicts a suppression of extragalactic protons above the famous Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin cutoff at about E_GZK ≈ 5 × 10¹⁰ GeV. Current cosmic ray data measured by the AGASA and HiRes Collaborations do not unambiguously confirm the GZK cutoff and leave a window for speculations about the origin and chemical composition of the highest energy cosmic rays. In this work we analyze the possibility of strongly interacting neutrino primaries and derive model-independent quantitative requirements on the neutrino–nucleon inelastic cross section for a viable explanation of the cosmic ray data. Search results on weakly interacting cosmic particles from the AGASA and RICE experiments are taken into account simultaneously. Using a flexible parameterization of the inelastic neutrino–nucleon cross section we find that a combined fit of the data does not favor the Standard Model neutrino–nucleon inelastic cross section, but requires, at 90% confidence level, a steep increase within one energy decade around E_GZK by four orders of magnitude. We illustrate such an enhancement within some extensions of the Standard Model. The impact of new cosmic ray data or cosmic neutrino search results on this scenario, notably from the Pierre Auger Observatory soon, can be immediately evaluated within our approach.     

太阳耀斑的厘米波和分米波射电辐射

综述了太阳厘米波射电源的形态特征和演化，以及厘米波辐射与X射线源的特性比较；介绍了太阳分米波射电辐射的一些最观测结果，包括分米波Ⅲ型爆发、纤维结构、斑马纹结构、DPS漂移脉动结构、spike尖峰辐射等多种精细结构，并讨论了可能的辐射机制。     

High-resolution structure-from-motion models covering 160 km-long surface ruptures of the 2021 MW 7.4 Madoi earthquake in northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The 22 May 2021 M_W 7.4 Madoi, Qinghai, China earthquake presented a rare opportunity to apply the modern unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photography method in extreme altitude and weather conditions to image surface ruptures and near-field effects of earthquake-related surface deformations in the remote Tibet. High-resolution aerial photographs were acquired in the days immediately following the mainshock. The complex surface rupture patterns associated with this event were covered comprehensively at 3–6 cm resolution. This effort represents the first time that an earthquake rupture in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has been fully and systematically captured by such high-resolution imagery, with an unprecedented level of detail, over its entire length. The dataset has proven valuable in documenting subtle and transient rupture features, such as the significant mole-tracks and opening fissures, which were ubiquitous coseismically but degraded during the subsequent summer storm season. Such high-quality imagery also helps to document with high fidelity the fractures of the surface rupture zone (supplements of this paper), the pattern related to how the faults ruptured to the ground surface, and the distribution of off-fault damage. In combination with other ground-based mapping efforts, the data will be analyzed in the following months to better understand the mechanics of earthquake rupture related to the fault zone rheology, rupture dynamics, and frictional properties along with the fault interface.     

The occurrence of cyanobacteria and microcystins in the Hoan Kiem Lake and the Nui Coc reservoir (North Vietnam)

The occurrence of increasing blooms of toxic cyanobacteria in freshwaters has received much attention due to the ability of many cyanobacteria to produce potent cyanotoxins. In this paper, the occurrence of dominant cyanobacteria and the concentration of microcystins (MCs) analysis were investigated monthly from July 2008 to April 2009 in the Hoan Kiem Lake and from February to April 2009 in the Nui Coc reservoir. Concentrations of intracellular MCs from water, bloom samples, and isolated strains were quantified by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). During the study period, the microscopic examination of the phytoplankton samples showed the dominance of the genus Microcystis in the water environment of the Hoan Kiem Lake and the Nui Coc reservoir. The toxin analysis by HPLC demonstrated the presence of two MC variants: MC-LR and MC-RR in water samples. Total concentrations of the toxins in filtered samples from surface water ranged from non-detected to 0.91 μg L^?1 at Nui Coc reservoir and they ranged from 2.1 to 46.0 μg L^?1 at Hoan Kiem Lake. The results of the HPLC analysis confirmed the production of MCs in bloom samples (ranged from 115.9 to 184.6 μg L^?1 in the Hoan Kiem Lake and from 726.5 to 1116 μg L^?1 in the Nui Coc reservoir) and isolated strains of Anabaena sp. and Microcystis with the concentration of MC ranging from 152 to 396.2 μg g^?1 dry mass, respectively.     

The comparative effects of frictional convergence and vertical wind shear on the interior asymmetries of a tropical cyclone

A minimal three-dimensional hurricane model formulated on an \(f\) -plane is used to investigate the asymmetries that develop when a model storm is subjected to ambient vertical wind shear. The asymmetries that form in the moist version of the model have a different structure to those that form in a dry version. In the moist case, there are two competing factors that influence the inner-core asymmetries: vertical wind shear and frictional convergence in the boundary layer. We show that the relative importance of these factors is different in the different stages of vortex evolution and different also in the core region compared with the outer region of the vortex. In the developing stage, the patterns of vertical velocity and temperature deviation above the boundary layer are primarily determined by the shear. When saturation occurs in the core region, the vortex rapidly intensifies and the upper and lower portions of the vortex become strongly coupled so that there is little tilt of the core region. In the mature stage, ascent associated with frictional convergence in the core tends to dominate the vertical motion field induced by the shear, but there are individual times when the patterns of ascent at the top of the boundary layer and at the upper level differ significantly. These times coincide mostly with fluctuations in the vortex track, which, in turn, must be influenced by asymmetries in the horizontal flow in the vortex. Even though the inner core of the vortex becomes upright with the onset of deep moist convection, the outer regions continue to have a significant tilt. Outside the core region, the asymmetries in the pattern of vertical motion above the boundary layer are associated primarily with the tilt of the outer vortex.     

Recent contamination by persistent organochlorines in Baikal seal (Phoca sibirica) from Lake Baikal, Russia

Blubber samples of Baikal seals pups (Phoca sibirica) collected in 2001 and 2002 were analyzed for persistent organochlorines (OCs) such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites), HCHs (hexachlorocyclohexane isomers), CHLs (chlordane related compounds), TCPMe [tris(4-chlorophenyl)methane] and TCPMOH [tris(4-chlorophenyl)methanol]. The distribution pattern of OCs was in the following order: DDTs>PCBs>CHLs>HCHs>TCPMOH>TCPMe. Organochlorine concentrations and composition patterns in eight pup blubber samples (2002) analyzed in the present study were compared with the corresponding levels in juvenile Baikal seals from 1992 survey, and it was found that residue levels of OC compounds have declined during the 10 year period. In particular, concentrations of PCBs, HCHs and CHLs in seals collected in 2002 were approximately two times lower, while DDTs levels were three times lower than the corresponding levels in 1992. Furthermore, higher ratios of beta-HCH/HCHs and p,p(')-DDE/DDTs were found in 2002 samples. While comparing the OC levels with those in other seal pups it appeared that all the OC concentrations were lower than the levels in seals from coastal California known as one of the most polluted areas. PCB and DDT concentrations in the present specimens were higher than that in Arctic seal pups. The proportions of tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexachlorobiphenyls in pups captured in 2002 were higher than those in 1992. TEQ concentrations of non- and mono-ortho coplanar PCBs in Baikal seals collected in 2002 were higher than those in seals collected from some locations in the world, where human and industrial activities are extensive, suggesting potential for toxic implications of coplanar PCBs in Baikal seals.