Ideal width of transects for monitoring source-related categories of plastics on beaches

Although there is a consensus on the necessity of monitoring solid wastes pollution on beaches, the methods applied vary widely. Therefore, creating, testing and recommending a method that not only allows comparisons of places and periods, but also the detection of source signals, will be important to reach the objectives of the source-prevention principle. This will also allow the optimisation of time, resources, and processing of samples and data. A classification of the items found into specific categories was made according to their most probable source/use (fisheries, food packaging, hazardous, sewage/personal hygiene, beach user, general home). This study tested different widths of sampling transects to be used in the detection of plastics contamination on beaches, until all the categories were significantly represented. Each transect had its total width (50m) sub-divided into eight intervals of 0-2.5m; 2.5-5m; 5-10m; 10-15m; 15-20m; 20-30m; 30-40m; and 40-50m. The accumulated number of categories in the 50m (up to 2.5m; up to 5m and so on) was used to determine the minimal width necessary to qualitatively characterize the area regarding plastics contamination. The diversity of the categories was directly related to the area of the sampling transect. These results indicate that a significant increase in the number of categories in the first intervals tend to stabilize from 15-20m onwards.     

Geophysical investigations of the Platanares geothermal site, Honduras, Central America

Geophysical studies were carried out in Platanares in Western Honduras, as part of an investigation of the geothermal resource potential of Honduras by Los Alamos National Laboratory in cooperation with the Honduran government and the U.S. Geological Survey. Geological and geochemical studies later followed by exploratory bore-holes indicate this area of rugged topography has the best geothermal potential in Honduras. In order to better understand the geology of the area, gravity, audiomagnetotelluric and telluric surveys were carried out. The site is in a graben of Tertiary volcanics and Cretaceous red beds, with numerous hot springs along faults in the center of the graben. Gravity mapped the thickness of low-density tuffs and the position of associated normal faults. It also indicated the presence of persuasive, shallow, highly silicified, high-density tuffs and gravels. The electrical surveys mapped shallow, high-resistivity silicified zones and faults as low-resistivity zones. The red beds below the tuffs are considered to contain the geothermal reservoir, but their maximum thickness could not be determined by these surveys due to the lack of density contrast and the high surface electrical conductivities. Three geologic cross-sections constructed by others have been re-evaluated using gravity modeling and analysis of eletrical anomalies, showing general agreement but in detail significant differences.     

Rainfall and the 6–9 day wave-like disturbance in West-Africa during summer 1989

Summary Using ECMWF analyses and daily rain amounts of 569 stations in Western Africa for summer 1989, the study documents the composite structure of the 6–9 day oscillation and its influence on rain. Rain is modulated by vorticity as displayed in the wave composite. There are rainfall maxima coincident with cyclonic vorticity and rainfall minima coincident with anticyclonic vorticity at the 700hPa level, at 17.5°N and 7.5°N.With 6 Figures     

Palaeomagnetic evidence for large-scale dextral movement along the Trollfjord-Komagelv Fault,Finnmark, north Norway

Palaeomagnetic data from Late Precambrian dykes from the northern part of Varanger peninsula, north Norway, suggest a two-axis magnetization structure. The dominant component is considered to be syn- to late-tectonic and probably acquired at around 640 m.y. B.P. Superposed on this magnetization is a minor component which is compatible with the relative Lower-Middle Palaeozoic field; i.e. it was most likely imposed during the climax of the Caledonian orogenic movements in north Norway. The estimated relative Late Precambrian palaeopole cannot easily be reconciled with the European Late Precambrian polar path. This disagreement can be accounted for by assuming a post-magnetization dextral megashear, of the order of 500–1000 km, along the Trollfjord-Komagelv fracture zone. This type of displacement is in line with geological evidence and the palaeomagnetic reconstruction supports the long-held view of there having been continuity between the depositional environments of the Varanger Peninsula Barents Sea Group, the Eleonore Bay Group of east Greenland and the Hecla Hoek Formation of east Spitsbergen. The character and age of the horizontal displacement, post-640 to pre-500 m.y. B.P., is seen in conjunction with the opening up of the lapetus Ocean and reactivation of ancient deep-seated fractures during both the spreading and the contraction phases of ocean development.     

Characterization of juvenile pyroclasts from the Kos Plateau Tuff (Aegean Arc): insights into the eruptive dynamics of a large rhyolitic eruption

Silicic pumices formed during explosive volcanic eruptions are faithful recorders of the state of the magma in the conduit, close to or at the fragmentation level. We have characterized four types of pumices from the non-welded rhyolitic Kos Plateau Tuff, which erupted 161,000 years ago in the East Aegean Arc, Greece. The dominant type of pumice (>90 vol.%) shows highly elongated tubular vesicles. These tube pumices occur throughout the eruption. Less common pumice types include: (1) “frothy” pumice (highly porous with large, sub-rounded vesicles), which form 5–10 vol.% of the coarsest pyroclastic flow deposits, (2) dominantly “microvesicular” and systematically crystal-poor pumices, which are found in early erupted, fine-grained pyroclastic flow units, and are characterized by many small (<50 μm in diameter) vesicles and few mm-sized, irregular voids, (3) grey or banded pumices, indicating the interaction between the rhyolite and a more mafic magma, which are found throughout the eruption sequence and display highly irregular bubble shapes. Except for the grey-banded pumices, all three other types are compositionally identical and were generated synchronously as they are found in the same pyroclastic units. They, therefore, record different conditions in the volcanic conduit leading to variable bubble nucleation, growth and coalescence. A total of 74 pumice samples have been characterized using thin section observation, SEM imagery, porosimetry, and permeametry. We show that the four pumice types have distinct total and connected porosity, tortuosity and permeability. Grey-banded pumices show large variations in petrophysical characteristics as a response to mingling of two different magmas. The microvesicular, crystal-poor, pumices have a bimodal bubble size distribution, interpreted as reflecting an early heterogeneous bubble nucleation event followed by homogeneous bubble nucleation close to fragmentation. Finally, the significant differences in porosity, tortuosity and permeability in compositionally identical tube and frothy pumices are the result of variable shear rates in different parts of the conduit. Differential shear rates may be the result of either: (1) pure shear, inducing a vertical progression from frothy to tube and implying a relatively thick fragmentation zone to produce both types of pumices at the same time or (2) localized simple shear, inducing strongly tubular vesicles along the wall and near-spherical bubbles in the centre of the conduit and not necessarily requiring a thick fragmentation zone.     

Characterization of Estuarine and Fluvial Dissolved Organic Matter by Thermochemolysis using Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide

Selected samples of dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated by ultrafiltration (UDOM) have been analyzed by thermochemolysis in the presence of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). This technique cleaves ester and ether bonds of bio‐ and geological macromolecules and releases monomer subunits and methylates them in situ as their methyl ethers and methyl esters. Compared with conventional pyrolysis, TMAH thermochemolysis avoids decarboxylation of preexisting carboxylic moieties and produces aromatic acids as their methyl esters. Various phenolic derivatives, which might originate from incorporated lignin‐derived structures, from the highly aliphatic and resistant biopolymer cutan and also from proteinaceous materials, were identified among the products produced from UDOM upon thermochemolysis. The presence of lignin derivatives in UDOM indicates input of organic matter derived from terrestrial sources. Various aromatic acids, perhaps representing the final steps in the oxidation of the side‐chain during microbial oxidation of lignin, were released upon TMAH thermochemolysis, suggesting they are structural constituents of the UDOM. Different ratios of lignin‐derived materials, commonly determined using the CuO oxidation method, such as the Δ value, indicative of the amount of lignin present, the acid/aldehyde ratio (Ad/Al)_G, indicative of the extent of oxidative degradation of the lignin component, and the syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) and p‐hydroxyphenyl/guaiacyl (P/G) ratios, indicative of the contribution for the different types of lignin, were determined.     

Mobility of metals in nickel mine spoil materials

An understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of metals in mine spoil materials is a prerequisite to rehabilitate Ni mining sites. The objective of this study was to characterize the fate of metals in different Ni ore spoil materials as influenced by hydrological conditions and fertilisation practices. In tropical ultramafic complexes, the different stages of lateritic weathering lead to two types of ores, and therefore, to two spoil types. They are mainly either a clay-rich saprolite, so-called “garnierite”, enriched in phyllosilicates, or a limonitic material, enriched in Fe oxides. Lysimeter columns were designed to monitor leaching waters through both spoil materials. The garnieritic spoil released higher concentrations of Mg (mean = 2.25 mg L⁻¹), Ni (0.39 mg L⁻¹) and Cr (1.19 mg L⁻¹) than the limonitic spoil (Mg = 0.5 mg L⁻¹; Ni = 0.03 mg L⁻¹ and Cr = 0.25 mg L⁻¹). Chromium was mainly in an anionic form in leaching solutions. As exchangeable pools of Cr(VI) in limonite (980 mg kg⁻¹ of KH₂PO₄-extractable Cr) are considerable its release in water may still occur in the case of a pH increase. In mixed spoil, metal concentrations were almost as low as in the limonitic one. The effect of mineral-N fertilisation was a strong release of cations (Ni, Mg) into the leachate. Phosphate amendment did not affect the soil solution composition under experimental conditions.     

The evaporitic celestite-barite deposits of Neuquen,Argentina

Celestite-barite occurrences of early Cretaceous age were studied in the Extra-Andean region of Neuquén, West central Argentina. The ores are located in a Subandean Mesozoic belt and show a conspicuous stratabound character related to evaporitic facies. The study of the geologic evolution of the sedimentary sequence allows prediction of the temporal and spatial setting of the evaporitic facies. Stratigraphy is the main geologic control for the celestite-barite ores and their areal distribution depends on the structure of the region. Based on the geometry and texture of the mineralization three types of ores have been recognized: 1) celestite beds syngenetic with the evaporitic facies; 2) epigenetic stratabound ores formed by "in situ" mobilization of celestite with stalactite growth and cavity infilling; 3) epigenetic vein-type ores formed by mobilized barium enriched solutions.Lithofacies and isotopic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analyses together with the geological evidence confirm an evaporitic origin for the celestite beds.     

Holocene coastal environmental changes on the periphery of an area of glacio‐isostatic uplift: an example from Scapa Bay,Orkney, UK

The first detailed investigation of a deep, coastal, sedimentary basin in Orkney reveals a complex Holocene history of back‐barrier morphodynamics. At Scapa Bay, the sea flooded a freshwater marsh after ca. 9400 yr BP at ca. ?5.4 m OD. Before ca. 7800 BP, abundant sediment from nearby cliffs was mobilised inland into a series of gravel barriers across the valley mouth. By ca. 7500 BP, direct marine influence was restricted in the back‐barrier area, although saltmarsh persisted until ca. 5900 BP. By then, at least four gravel ridges had enclosed the backing lagoon, where freshwater inputs became dominant. As terrestrial sediments filled the basin, another freshwater marsh developed. The multiple barrier complex demonstrates progradation resulting from continuous sediment supply in a sheltered embayment. The progressively rising height of the barrier crests seawards probably resulted from a combination of factors such as barrier morphodynamics, increased storminess and long‐term rising relative sea levels. The dominant vegetation surrounding Scapa Bay changed from open grassland to scrub ca. 9400 BP, then to deciduous woodland ca. 7800 BP, and to dwarf‐shrub heath ca. 2600 BP, the latter probably a response to a combination of climate change and human activity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.