The Canary Eddy Corridor: A major pathway for long-lived eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic

We report, from remote sensing and in situ observations, a new type of permanent structure in the eastern subtropical Atlantic Ocean, that we call the “Canary Eddy Corridor”. The phenomenon, is a zonal long-lived (>3 months) mesoscale eddy corridor, whose source is the flow perturbation of the Canary Current and the Trade Winds at the Canary Islands. The latitudinal range of the corridor spans 22°N–29°N and extends from the Canaries to at least 32ºW, near the mid-Atlantic. This is the main region of long-lived westward-propagating eddies in the subtropical northeast Atlantic. From a age-distribution study we observe that at least 10% of mesoscale eddies in this region are long-lived, with a dominance of anticyclones over cyclones. Another four westward-propagating eddy corridors were also detected: two small corridors north and south of the Azores Front; a small zonal corridor located near 31ºN, south of the island of Madeira; and a small corridor located near the Cape Blanc giant filament. The existence of these corridors may change, at least for the northeastern subtropical Atlantic, the general idea that mesoscale eddies are disorganized, ubiquitous structures in the ocean. The Canary Eddy Corridor constitutes a direct zonal pathway that conveys water mass- and biogeochemical properties offshore from the Canary Island/Northwest Africa upwelling system, and may be seen as a recurrent offshore pump of organic matter and carbon to the oligotrophic ocean interior. Estimates of volume and mass transport indicate that Canary Eddy Corridor westward transport is more than one-fourth of the southward transport of the Canary Current. The westward transport of kinetic energy by the eddies of the Canary Corridor is as important as the southward transport by the Canary Current. The total primary production related to the Corridor may be as high as the total primary production of the northwest Africa upwelling system for the same latitude range.     

Cosmic-ray intensity versus solar soft X-ray background in cross-correlation analysis

The relationship between the galactic cosmic ray modulation (CR) and the non-flare coronal level, as given by the solar soft X-ray background (XBG), is investigated from 1 July 1968 to 30 June 1980 on a daily basis. The stationarity problem of a multivariate time series, as well as the role of the short- and medium-term corona variability are faced. From them it is found that the CR/XBG relation is variable during the considered heliomagnetic semicycle, while CR and XBG are highly anticorrelated on a long-time scale (12-month averages). The CR/XBG relationship during the declining phase of solar activity shows a moderately strong anticorrelation, on short- and medium-term time scales (coefficient up to –0.77 for 27-day running averages), went towards insignificant values in the minimum phase and is only partially reconstructed during the rise of the following solar cycle. During the solar activity maximum of cycle 20 the cosmic-ray modulation is only related to the short-term coronal fluctuations (no other time scales are significant, supporting the reliability of the so-called `Gnevyshev gap' in solar parameters).     

Chrysophyte cysts as paleolimnological indicators of environmental change due to cottage development and acidic deposition in the Muskoka-Haliburton region, Ontario, Canada

Chrysophyte cysts preserved in recent and pre-industrial lake sediment samples from 54 Muskoka-Haliburton (Ontario) lakes were used in a paleolimnological study to determine the impact of acidic precipitation and cottage development on water quality. A total of 246 cyst morphotypes were identified. Ecological preferences of cyst morphotypes were determined using multivariate statistical analysis, cluster analysis, and species-environment correlations. Recent cyst assemblages were related to water chemistry and lake morphometric variables using Redundancy Analysis (RDA). The distribution of morphotypes was related to a gradient of acid neutralising capacity (ANC), expressed through the association of variables related to buffering (i.e. longitude, watershed area, and ionic concentration) with the first axis (₁ = 0.29). Cyst assemblages were also defined, to a lesser extent (₂ = 0.06), by a trophic status gradient, created through the combination of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), volume-weighted cottage density, and lake depth variables. The identification of lakewater pH and trophic status as important determinants of cyst assemblage structure allowed for the reconstruction of acidification and eutrophication related water chemistry changes using fossil cyst assemblages. The reconstruction of pre-industrial (pre-1850) water quality conditions with fossil cyst assemblages indicated that pH significantly decreased in 24.1% of the study lakes and increased in 16.7% of the lakes. Increases in pH in more alkaline drainage basins are attributed to alkalinity generation processes induced by acidic precipitation as has been shown in other studies. Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations significantly declined in 12.9% of the lakes and increased in 16.6% of lakes. Increases in [TP] were linked to cottage development. Decreases in trophic status may be due to landuse changes, the result of the acidification occurring in the area, or warmer and drier climates. A comparison of chrysophyte cyst and diatom water quality inferences show similar trends in pH changes. There is a good agreement between diatom and chrysophyte bioindicators with respect to [TP] changes in oligotrophic lakes (< 10 g/L); however, diatom inferences suggest that lakes with current [TP] values greater than 10 g/L have decreased in trophic status over time, while chrysophyte reconstructions suggest that these same lakes have become more productive systems.     

Land degradation,natural resources and local knowledge in the sahel zone of Burkina Faso

This paper proposes a conceptual model that integrates physical and ecological aspects with human aspects of land degradation through a multidisciplinary approach. The model was applied at the local level in a case study in northern Burkina Faso. Assessments of the degradation of the vegetation cover from aerial photographs and a satellite image were analysed in the framework of the model. Another input to the model was results from interviews and field visits with peasants living in the area.The local knowledge of the physical symptoms of land degradation and of the physical variables, eg rainfall and wind, is very close to the scientific logic. However, people do not generally see the links between these variables and the symptoms. Likewise, they do not perceive land degradation to be influenced in any way by human actions. Instead, the cause of land degradation is attributed to God, Allah. Thus, an important field of intervention for governments and development agencies should be to make people aware of their role in land management.     

Cristobalite-pyroxene in an L6 chondrite: implications for metamorphism

CRISPY is a cristobalite-pyroxene assemblage in the L6 chondrite ALHA 76003. It was formed by reaction of a very siliceous inclusion with the surrounding olivine-rich rock. Oxygen isotopes show that the inclusion was derived from a source with non-chondritic isotopic composition. The isotopes also show that the oxygen of the pyroxene reaction product was derived by simple mixing of oxygen from the inclusion and its immediately adjacent surroundings, with exchange with the bulk meteorite limited to a distance of about a millimeter. The persistence of cristobalite in close proximity to olivine, and the lack of isotopic equilibration, show that the metamorphic processes that form petrographic grade 6 chondrites involve transport of major elements over distances only on the order of millimeters.     

Seasonal abundance and vertical distribution of crab larvae in Delaware Bay

Larvae of 15 species or genera of crabs were collected and identified during a six month (May 26 to October 28, 1978) study in the mouth of Delaware Bay. Seasonal abundance and vertical distribution of each species were investigated. Most species studied had peak abundance in July and August except forCancer irroratus andOvalipes ocellatus which showed peak occurrence in May and June, respectively. Larvae of species strongly dependent on estuarine habitats, such asUca spp.,Pinnixa chaetopterana, andP. sayana, showed a tendency to congregate in near-bottom waters where net flow of water is landward, thus favoring retention within the estuary. Larvae ofOvalipes ocellatus, Cancer irroratus, andCallinectes sapidus were more common at the surface. This vertical distribution suggests that these larvae are flushed out of the estuary. The mechanisms of recruitment and replenishment of adult populations within the estuary would therefore depend on migration of megalopa and juveniles. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY019 00006     

Study of peristerites using transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis

Peristerite feldspars from Seiland in Norway have been studied by a combination of transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The different types of microtextures have been correlated with the local mean composition, and it is found that the miscibility gap between An₄ and An₁₇ extends into the ternary Or—Ab—An region. The orientation of the more common type of exsolution lamellae varies from (08¯1) to about (¯1, 21, ¯2) with increasing potassium content.     

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