The hydrography and biology of a bloom of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi in the northern North Sea

In June/July 1994 a study was made of a small bloom of the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi in an area of the North Sea to the east of the Shetland Islands. Observations on the hydrography of the study area indicated the bloom was associated with Atlantic water and was confined to an area in which a stable shallow mixed layer had formed. There was no evidence to suggest association of horizontal physical structure with the bloom development. High cell densities of >1– cells dm⁻³, together with low concentrations of PIC (<50 μg dm⁻³) and detached liths (2– liths cm⁻³) indicated that the bloom was studied at an early stage of development. Biochemical and physiological observations indicated active growth was taking place. The results presented are discussed in comparison with previous studies carried out in both oceanic and shelf seas.     

Removal of contaminants from landfill leachates by filtration through glauconitic greensands

Passing landfill leachate through glauconitic greensand filters reduces the heavy metal cation content, lessens the unpleasant odor, and diminishes the murkiness of the leachate. The capability of the greensand to trap metal cations is increased by prolonging the contact time between the leachate and the greensand. Flushing the charged greensand filter with water does not cause significant release of cations back into solution, suggesting that polluted greensand might be disposed of at landfill sites without endangering the quality of either ground or surface water.     

Wind‐driven depth‐averaged circulation in Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait

Abstract

We develop a wind‐driven depth‐averaged model of the circulation on the continental shelf around the Queen Charlotte Islands. The model captures a major feature of the winter current‐meter observations: a flow in Moresby Trough against the direction of the prevailing winds. Moresby Trough is a steep submarine canyon cutting across the shelf from the Pacific Ocean to the mainland. The flow patterns revealed by simulated drifters lead to four generalizations about the depth‐averaged, wind‐driven flow: (1) the flow is subject to strong topographic steering, (2) the exchange between Queen Charlotte Sound and the Pacific Ocean is limited to small regions near Cape St James and Cape Scott, (3) the exchange between Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait is controlled by Moresby Trough, and (4) the observed outflows past Cape St James are not explained by the dynamics of this model.     

Eco‐physiological repercussions of dietary arachidonic acid in cell membranes of active tissues of the Gray whale

The radiation of the mammalian land species that became the baleen whales happened about 27–34 Mya. Mammals require omega 6 fatty acids for reproduction. With this long exposure to the omega 3‐rich marine food chain, the Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) might be expected to have lost its requirement for omega 6 fatty acids. We report an unexpectedly high content of omega 6 arachidonic acid (ArA) in the Gray whale liver and muscle lipids. This whale migrates 10,000 km from the cold polar, omega 3 oil‐rich food chain to that of the breeding lagoons of the tropical waters. The food web of tropical waters is a source of omega 6 fatty acids, which are hardly present in the cold polar food web. We suggest the reason for this longest of migrations from cold to warm waters is to meet the requirement for omega 6 fatty acids for mammalian reproduction and brain growth. This extreme conservation of omega 6 fatty acids in Gray whale biology has critical implications for mammalian biology and especially for whale conservation.     

Cape cormorants decrease,move east and adapt foraging strategies following eastward displacement of their main prey

Numbers of Cape cormorants Phalacrocorax capensis breeding in South Africa decreased by nearly 50% from approximately 107 000 pairs in 1977–1981 to 57 000 pairs in 2010–2014. Although four colonies had >10 000 pairs in 1977–1981, there was just one such colony in 2010–2014. Almost all the decrease occurred after the early 1990s off north-west South Africa, between the Orange River estuary and Dassen Island. South of this, the number breeding in the two periods was stable, with some colonies being formed or growing rapidly in the 2000s. The proportion of South Africa’s Cape cormorants that bred south of Dassen Island increased from 35% in 1977–1981 to 66% in 2010–2014, with the opposite situation observed in the north-west. This matched a shift to the south and east in the distributions of two of the Cape cormorant’s main prey species, anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and sardine Sardinops sagax. In 2014, an apparent scarcity of prey in the north-west resulted in Cape cormorants attempting to take bait from hooks of fishing lines over an extended period, a behaviour not previously recorded. The number of Cape cormorants breeding in the south may be constrained by the absence of large islands between Dyer Island in the west and Algoa Bay in the east. If so, it may be possible to bolster the southern population through the provision of appropriate breeding habitat, such as platforms, or restricting human disturbance at suitable mainland cliff breeding sites.     

Polygon-to-Polygon Spatial Accessibility Using Different Aggregation Approaches: A Case Study of National Forests in the US Mountain West Region

Spatial accessibility is an enduring topic of spatial analysis that is intimately tied to issues of spatial representation and scale. A variety of methods to measure accessibility have been developed with most research focusing on metropolitan‐sized spatial extents using census‐defined aggregation units and relying on vector point representation to calculate Euclidean or network distances as key ingredients in measure formulations. Less research considers broader scales where both origin and destination points are treated as polygons. This research develops alternative gravity‐based measures of polygon‐to‐polygon accessibility for a case study of county‐level accessibility to national forests in the western US. Different methods of county and forest representation are implemented using census block centroids and a lattice approach for disaggregation and re‐aggregation. Other characteristics that are analyzed include origin‐destination linkage definitions, population weighting, and distance thresholds. Correlation analysis is used to assess relationships of alternative measures with a simple percentage measure and with each other. Low correlations would suggest that measures capture different aspects of accessibility that are related to their qualitative characteristics. Results show the alternative measures to be dissimilar from the percentage measure; however, high correlations among alternative measures suggest that there is little to differentiate certain disaggregated measures in spite of their richer qualitative interpretation.     

Al-spinels in primitive arc volcanics

Summary Al-rich spinels (100Cr/(Cr + Al) < 5, Al₂O₃ > 50 wt%) are common in alpine peridotites, both terrestrial and lunar mafic and ultramafic cumulates, and in certain metamorphic rocks, but they are apparently rare in terrestrial volcanic rocks. Here we describe the occurrence of Al-rich spinel inclusions in olivine phenocrysts in island arc volcanic rocks from five new localities: Bukit Mapas (Sumatra) and eastern Bali in the Sunda arc, and Epi, Merelava, and Ambrym islands in the Vanuatu arc. More commonly, relatively Cr-rich spinels also occur as inclusions in the saine olivine phenocrysts, and it appears that the Cr-poor aluminous spinels must be in disequilibrium with the host basaltic melts. In the rocks studied, Al-rich spinels also coexist with trapped silicate glasses and highly aluminous clinopyroxene in melt inclusions in olivine. This paragenesis suggests an origin involving contamination by localized Al-rich melt pockets as opposed to a xenocrystic origin. Two mechanisms to produce this high-Al melt in basaltic magma chambers are suggested: (1) localized high-Al melt production by complete breakdown of assimilated lower crustal gabbroic rocks. In this model the high-Al melt may crystallise Al-rich spinels which are subsequently trapped as solid inclusions by phenocryst phases of the host basaltic melt or may be trapped as melt inclusions in which Al-rich spinels and Al-rich clinopyroxene crystallise as daughter phases, and (2) in congruent breakdown of amphibole in amphibole-rich cumulates in sub-arc, or sub-OIB volcano magma chambers. The latter reaction produces a melt with 20–22% of Al₂O₃, aluminous clinopyroxene, Al-rich spinel and olivine. Mixing between these amphibole breakdown products and host basaltic melt may occur throughout the evolution of a magmatic system, but particularly during recharge with hot magnesian basalt batches. Aluminous spinels and aluminous clinopyroxene produced during amphibole breakdown, or perhaps crystallised from aluminous melt produced in the saine reaction, are incorporated into the magma during recharge, and subsequently trapped, together with the coexisting Cr-spinels, by crystallising olivine and clinopyroxene.

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Al-Spinelle in primitiven Inselbogen-Vulkaniten

Zusammenfassung Al-reiche Spinelle (100Cr/(Cr + Al) < 5, Al₂O₃ > 50 Gew.%) sind in alpinen Peridotiten, in terrestrischen und lunaren mafischen und ultramafischen Kumulaten und in manchen metamorphen Gesteinen weit verbreitet, aber sie scheinen in terrestrischen, vulkanischen Gesteinen selten zu sein. Wir beschreiben hier das Vorkommen von Al-reichen Spinell-Inklusionen in Olivinkristallen von Inselbogen-Vulkaniten von 5 neuen Lokalitäten: Bukit Mapas (Sumatra) und Ost-Bali im Sunda-Bogen und die Inseln Epi, Merelava und Ambrym im Vanuatu-Bogen. Relativ Cr-reiche Spinelle kommen häufiger auch als Einschlüsse in denselben Olivin-Kristallen vor, und es scheint, daß Chrom-arme Aluminiumspinelle im Ungleichgewicht mit ihren basaltischen Mutterschmelzen stehen. In den untersuchten Gesteinen kommen Al-reiche Spinelle zusammen mit Silikatgläsern und Aluminium-reichen Klinopyroxenen in Schmelzeinschlüssen in Olivinen vor. Diese Assoziation weist auf einen Ursprung hin, der Kontamination durch lokalisierte Al-reiche pockets von Schmelze involviert; dies steht im Gegensatz zu einem Ursprung als Xenokristalle. Wir schlagen zwei Mechanismen vor, die diese Aluminium-reiche Schmelze in basaltischen Magmakammern erzeugen können: (1) lokalisierte Produktion von Aluminium-reicher Schmelze durch vollkommene Auflösung von assimilierten gabbroischen Gesteinen aus der unteren Kruste. In diesem Modell kann die Aluminium-reiche Schmelze Al-reiche Spinelle kristallisieren, die dann anschließend als feste Einschlüsse von Phenokristallen in der basaltischen Mutterschmelze eingefangen werden oder als Schmelzeinschlüsse, in denen Al-reiche Spinelle und Al-reiche Klinopyroxene als Tochterphasen kristallisieren. (2) Inkongruenter Zerfall von Amphibol in Amphibol-reichen Kumulaten in Magmakammern unter Inselbögen oder unter OIB-Vulkanen. Die letztgenannte Reaktion erzeugt eine Schmelze mit ungefähr 20–22% Al₂O₃, Aluminium-haltigen Klinopyroxen, Al-reichen Spinell und Olivin. Mischung zwischen diesen Produkten des Zerfalls von Amphibol und basaltischer Mutterschmelze kann während der ganzen Evolution eines magmatischen Systems stattfinden, aber besonders während der Zufuhr neuer heißer Magnesium-reicher Basalte. Aluminium-haltige Spinelle und Klinopyroxene, die während des Zerfalls von Amphibol entstanden sind oder vielleicht aus einer Aluminium-haltigen Schmelze in derselben Reaktion produziert wurden, werden während der Neuzufuhr in das Magma inkorporiert und im Anschluß daran, zusammen mit den koexistierenden Cr-Spinellen, von kristallisierendem Olivin und Klinopyroxen eingefangen.

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With 6 Figures     

A radiometric estimate of the duration of sedimentation in the Adelaide geosyncline,south Australia

The Adelaide System forms the uppermost Precambrian sequence in South Australia and the Wooltana Volcanics lie near its base. Though affected by Palaeozoic metamorphism, the least‐altered samples give a minimum age of 850 ± 50 m.y., so that the base of the System is about 900 m.y. old or more. The unmetamorphbsed Roopena Volcanics of northeastern Eyre Peninsula are 1,345 ± 30 m.y. old and if correlated with the Wooltana Volcanics the base of the system becomes about 1,400 m.y. old. The data for the Wooltana Volcanics are consistent with this, provided that even the least‐altered total‐rock samples were open systems during the later metamorphism. Ages of basement in the Mount Painter and Olary districts (1,600 m.y.) and data for Willouran shales overlying the Wooltana Volcanics can fit both minimum and maximum estimates for the Volcanics.

Lower Cambrian shales give a range of 530–690 m.y.; though some Palaeozoic isotopic movement occurred, the ages are approximately correct. Shales from the top of the Torrensian Series range from 660–840 m.y. (700 m.y. preferred value). If the base of the system is at 1,400 m.y., this is surprisingly young. It suggests either a hiatus between the Wooltana Volcanics and the Torrensian or that the correlation of the former with the Roopena Volcanics is wrong (and that the base is at about 900 m.y.). Alternatively, the shales may be abnormally updated.

The Gawler Range Volcanics of Eyre Peninsula have been dated accurately at 1,535 ± 25 m.y. and illitic shale from the penecontemporaneous Corunna Conglomerate gives nearly the same value. These ages indirectly set a maximum for the age of the base of the system, as stratigraphy suggests that they are older. Granites underlying the Gawler Range Volcanics are about 1,600 m.y. old; some may be 1,800 m.y. old.

Final Palaeozoic metamorphism in the northern Flinders Ranges was at 465 m.y. The ages of several post‐orogenic intrusions are given.     

Experimental modelling of the near-field thermal regime in a nuclear-fuel waste disposal vault

Experiments have been performed to study the thermal performance of a backfilled disposal vault in which the waste containers are emplaced in boreholes and surrounded by a bentonitesand buffer.

The near-field thermal regime in a buffer-backfill disposal vault in which the nuclear fuel waste is emplaced in canisters, is studied by one-eight scale experimental models. The thermal performance of the buffer and backfill are examined in a thermal drying environment prior to the ground water recharge of the disposal vault.

The formation of shrinkage cracks in the buffer due to drying and the response of these shrinkage cracks to the rewetting condition and their influence on the near-field thermal regime are assessed.