Biotic enhancement of weathering and surface temperatures on earth since the origin of life

Assuming steady state of carbon dioxide levels in a “pressure-cooker” atmosphere/ocean system (10–20 bars, near 100°C) produced by a land weathering sink and volcanic source (BLAG model), an abiotic Earth model for 3.8 Ga requires present biotic enhancements of weathering to be on the order of 100 or greater, consistent with the limit inferred from experimental and field studies. Using a plausible ratio of the present biotic enhancement (from higher plants) to enhancements produced by microbial activity alone, along with models for continental growth and outgassing rates consistent with geologic evidence, we find that computed surface temperatures hover near 20°C over geologic time, slowly decreasing to present, after a rapid initial decline as a result of microbial colonization of land. Results are consistent with the first possibility for glaciation in the late Archean/early Proterozoic. Useful modeling of climatic evolution, taking into account biotic enhancement of weathering, can now apparently be extended into the Precambrian, assuming operation of the carbonate-silicate buffer.     

Comment on "Two New Carbonate Stable Isotope Standards"

Friedman et al (1) propose that NBS 19 calcium carbonate substitute for PDB. This is in apparent conflict with the recommendation of the September 1976 consultants' meeting convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency on stable isotope standards. Furthermore, Friedman et al suggest ɛ-values be adopted for NBS 19 that do not take into account the ɛ-values of NBS 20 (Solenhofen limestone). We believe that adoption of these proposals may lead to confusion in the stable isotope literature and to lack of correspondence between historic and future isotopic results.
In sharp contrast to the results of Friedman et al (1), we find NBS 20 to be a satisfactory reference material if it is handled properly.     

Sillimanite-potash feldspar assemblages in graphitic pelites,Strontian area,Scotland

Graphitic pelites of the western Moinian were metamorphosed at the time of emplacement of the Strontian Granodiorite intrusion, at a late stage of the Caledonian Orogeny, producing a metamorphic zonation. The Sillimanite Zone (in which K feldspar does not occur with sillimanite) is succeeded by the Muscovite-Sillimanite-K feldspar Zone, Sillimanite-K feldspar Zone (without primary muscovite) and Cordierite-K feldspar Zone. Secondary muscovite from retrograde hydration of sillimanite+K feldspar is distinguished texturally from primary muscovite, but is compositionally similar. Primary porphyroblastic muscovite, inherited from the regional metamorphic textural evolution of the rocks, disappears abruptly at the muscovite-out isograd. Migmatites of earlier regional origin, with recrystallized textures, are distinguished from those associated with the late Caledonian metamorphism, which are confined to the Sillimanite-K feldspar and Cordierite-K feldspar Zones. Muscovite compositions are inferred to be very low in Fe³⁺. There are no marked changes in muscovite composition at the entry of sillimanite+K feldspar. Higher Na contents than in some other muscovites coexisting with sillimanite+K feldspar are interpreted in terms of relatively low P in the Strontian area. Andalusite is found at two localities. From cordierite-garnet-sillimanite-biotite-K feldspar-quartz assemblages, a P estimate of 4.1±0.4 kbar is obtained, with the aqueous fluid having , and the T at the cordierite-K feldspar isograd is estimated as 690° C. T at the muscovite-out isograd is inferred to the maximum for muscovite-quartz-sillimanite-K feldspar equilibrium with graphite at P4.1 kbar: T 645° C, with . The well-defined lower boundary of the Muscovite-Sillimanite-K feldspar Zone is attributed to regionally rather homogeneous fluid composition at . The low P prevented melting in the Muscovite-Sillimanite-K feldspar Zone. Migmatites in the higher zones are attributed to partial melting, which accounts for the low necessary to produce the cordierite assemblages. Obscurity of these migmatites is attributed to deformation during and after the migmatization. A breccia structure in and near the Cordierite-K feldspar Zone, where pelites have flowed around disrupted pieces of psammite and amphibolite, can be explained by presence of grain-boundary melts in the pelites.     

Ultrafiltration by a compacted clay membrane—II. Sodium ion exclusion at various ionic strengths

Several recent laboratory studies and field investigations have indicated that shales and compacted clay minerals behave as semipermeable membranes. One of the properties of semipermeable membranes is to retard or prevent the passage of charged ionic species through the membrane pores while allowing relatively free movement of uncharged species. This phenomenon is termed salt filtering, reverse osmosis, or ultrafiltration.This paper shows how one can proceed from the ion exchange capacity of clay minerals and, by means of Donnan membrane equilibrium concept and the Teorell-Meyer-Siever theory, develop a theory to explain why and to what extent ultrafiltration occurs when solutions of known concentration are forced to flow through a clay membrane. Reasonable agreement between theory and laboratory results were found. The concentration of the ultrafiltrate was always greater than predicted because of uncertainty in values of some parameters in the equations.Ultrafiltration phenomena may be responsible for the formation of some subsurface brines and mineral deposits. The effect should also be taken into consideration in any proposal for subsurface waste emplacement in an environment containing large quantities of clay minerals.     

Theory of radio occultation by Saturn's rings

The radio occultation technique is developed here as a new method for the study of the physical properties of planetary ring systems. Particular reference is made to geometrical and system characteristics of the Voyager dual-wavelength (13 and 3.6 cm) experiment at Saturn. The rings are studied based on the perturbations they introduce in the spectrum of coherent sinusoidal radio signals transmitted through the rings from a spacecraft in the vicinity of the planet to Earth. Two separate signal components are identified in a perturbed spectrum: a sinusoidal component that remains coherent with the incident signal but is reduced in intensity and possibly changed in phase, and a Doppler-broadened incoherent component whose spectral shape and strength are determined by the occultation geometry and the radial variation of the near-forward radar cross section of illuminated ringlets. Both components are derived in terms of the physical ring properties starting from a conventional radar formulation of the problem of single scattering on ensembles of discrete scatterers, which is then generalized to include near-forward multiple scattering. The latter is accomplished through special solutions of the equation of transfer for particles that are larger than the wavelength. When the occultation geometry is optimized, contributions of an individual ringlet to a perturbed spectrum can be identified with radial resolution on the order of a few kilometers for the coherent component and a few hundred kilometers for the incoherent one, thus permitting high-resolution reconstruction of the radial profile of the optical depth, as well as reconstruction of the radar cross section of resolved ringlets. Simultaneous estimates of the optical depth and radar cross section of a ringlet at 3.6 cm-gl allow separation of its aerial density and particle size, if the particles are of known material and form a narrow size distibution with radii greater than several tens of centimeters. This separation is also achieved for radii ?10 cm from differential effects on the coherent signal parameters at 3.6- and 13-cm wavelengths. For the more general case of a broad size distribution modeled by a power law, the absence of differential effects on the coherent signal binds the minimum size to be ?10 cm. In this case, the radius inferred from an estimate of the radar cross section represents an equivalent radius, which is strongly controlled by the maximum size of the distribution provided that the power index is in the range 3 to 4. On the other hand, detection of differential coherent signal extinction determines an upper bound on the maximum size and a lower bound on the power index, assuming water-ice particles. These bounds, together with an inferred equivalent size, constrain the size distribution at both its small and large ends.     

Modeling Situation Factors Used in MCE Procedures for Raster GIS

Multi‐criteria evaluation (MCE) procedures are widely used in raster‐based geographic information systems (GIS) to perform a variety of land use siting applications. Many of the criteria used in an MCE analysis are based on spatial relationships or situation characteristics. Situation factors measure the accessibility that each raster cell is to resources or land uses that generate spatial externalities for the activity being sited. This accessibility can be measured either in terms of distance to the nearest target cell containing resources or the overall level of resource availability as measured by a spatial interaction model. This paper examines the spatial structure of these situation factors to identify the set of critical target cells for which distance estimates are most sensitive. Critical target cells are especially important in the case of positive externalities in which an activity would be inclined to locate near these cells to use or consume the resources there. Critical target cells are useful for evaluating the utility of the final site selection with respect to resource/activity ratios.     

Temporal and Spatial Variabilities of Chemical and Physical Parameters on the Heron Island Coral Reef Platform

Globally, coral reefs are threatened by ocean warming and acidification. The degree to which acidification will impact reefs is dependent on the local hydrodynamics, benthic community composition, and biogeochemical processes, all of which vary on different temporal and spatial scales. Characterizing the natural spatiotemporal variability of seawater carbonate chemistry across different reefs is critical for elucidating future impacts on coral reefs. To date, most studies have focused on select habitats, whereas fewer studies have focused on reef scale variability. Here, we investigate the temporal and spatial seawater physicochemical variability across the entire Heron Island coral reef platform, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, for a limited duration of six days. Autonomous sensor measurements at three sites across the platform were complemented by reef-wide boat surveys and discrete sampling of seawater carbonate chemistry during the morning and evening. Variability in both temporal and spatial physicochemical properties were predominantly driven by solar irradiance (and its effect on biological activity) and the semidiurnal tidal cycles but were influenced by the local geomorphology resulting in isolation of the platform during low tide and rapid flooding during rising tides. As a result, seawater from previous tidal cycles was sometimes trapped in different parts of the reef leading to unexpected biogeochemical trends in space and time. This study illustrates the differences and limitations of data obtained from high-frequency measurements in a few locations compared to low-frequency measurements at high spatial resolution and coverage, showing the need for a combined approach to develop predictive capability of seawater physicochemical properties on coral reefs.

     

Evaporation from three water bodies of different sizes and climates: Measurements and scaling analysis

Evaporation from small reservoirs, wetlands, and lakes continues to be a theoretical and practical problem in surface hydrology and micrometeorology because atmospheric flows above such systems can rarely be approximated as stationary and planar-homogeneous with no mean subsidence (hereafter referred to as idealized flow state). Here, the turbulence statistics of temperature (T) and water vapor (q) most pertinent to lake evaporation measurements over three water bodies differing in climate, thermal inertia and degree of advective conditions are explored. The three systems included Lac Léman in Switzerland (high thermal inertia, near homogeneous conditions with no appreciable advection due to long upwind fetch), Eshkol reservoir in Israel (intermediate thermal inertia, frequent strong advective conditions) and Tilopozo wetland in Chile (low thermal inertia, frequent but moderate advection). The data analysis focused on how similarity constants for the flux-variance approach, C_T/C_q, and relative transport efficiencies R_wT/R_wq, are perturbed from unity with increased advection or the active role of temperature. When advection is small and thermal inertia is large, C_T/C_q < 1 (or R_wT/R_wq > 1) primarily due to the active role of temperature, which is consistent with a large number of studies conducted over bare soil and vegetated surfaces. However, when advection is significantly large, then C_T/C_q > 1 (orR_wT/R_wq < 1). When advection is moderate and thermal inertia is low, then C_T/C_q ∼ 1. This latter equality, while consistent with Monin–Obukhov similarity theory (MOST), is due to the fact that advection tends to increase C_T/C_q above unity while the active role of temperature tends to decrease C_T/C_q below unity. A simplified scaling analysis derived from the scalar variance budget equation, explained qualitatively how advection could perturb MOST scaling (assumed to represent the idealized flow state).     

Secondary Hydrogeologic Regions of the Conterminous United States

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) previously identified and mapped 62 Principal Aquifers (PAs) in the U.S., with 57 located in the conterminous states. Areas outside of PAs, which account for about 40% of the conterminous U.S., were collectively identified as “other rocks.” This paper, for the first time, subdivides this large area into internally-consistent features, defined here as Secondary Hydrogeologic Regions (SHRs). SHRs are areas of other rock within which the rocks or deposits are of comparable age, lithology, geologic or physiographic setting, and relationship to the presence or absence of underling PAs or overlying glacial deposits. A total of 69 SHRs were identified. The number and size of SHRs identified in this paper are comparable to the number and size of PAs previously identified by the USGS. From a two-dimensional perspective, SHRs are complementary to PAs, mapped only where the PAs were not identified on the USGS PA map and not mapped where the PAs were identified. SHRs generally consist of low permeability rocks or deposits, but can include locally productive aquifers. The two maps, taken together, provide a comprehensive, national-scale hydrogeologic framework for assessing and understanding groundwater systems.