Natural and Post-Urbanization Signatures of Hypoxia in Two Basins of Puget Sound: Historical Reconstruction of Redox Sensitive Metals and Organic Matter Inputs

Hypoxia has been observed in Hood Canal, Puget Sound, WA, USA since the 1970s. Four long sediment cores were collected in 2005 and age-dated to resolve natural and post-urbanization signatures of hypoxia and organic matter (OM) sources in two contrasting basins of Puget Sound: Main Basin and Hood Canal. Paleoecological indicators used for sediment reconstructions included pollen, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (??¹³C and ??¹⁵N), biomarkers of terrestrial OM (TOM), biogenic silica (BSi), and redox-sensitive metals (RSM). The sedimentary reconstructions illustrated a gradient in RSM enrichment factors as Hood Canal > Main Basin, southern > northern cores, and pre-1900s > 1900?C2005. The urbanization of Puget Sound watersheds during the 1900s was reflected as shifts in all the paleoecological signatures. Pollen distributions shifted from predominantly old growth conifer to successional alder, dominant OM signatures recorded a decrease in the proportion of marine OM (MOM) concomitant with an increase in the proportion of TOM, and the weight % of BSi decreased. However, these shifts were not coincidental with an overall increase in the enrichment of RSM or ??¹⁵N signatures indicative of cultural eutrophication. The increased percentage of TOM was independently verified by both the elemental ratios and lignin yields. In addition, isotopic signatures, BSi, and RSMs all suggest that OM shifts may be due to a reduction in primary productivity rather than an increase in OM regeneration in the water column or at the sediment/water interface. Therefore, the reconstructions suggested the Hood Canal has been under a more oxygenated ??stance?? during the twentieth century compared to prior periods. However, these 2005 cores and their resolutions do not encompass the period of high resolution water column measurements that showed short-lived hypoxia events and fish kills in Hood Canal during the early twenty-first century. The decoupling between the increased watershed-scale anthropogenic alterations recorded in the OM signatures and the relatively depleted RSM during the twentieth century suggests that physical processes, such as deep-water ventilation, may be responsible for the historical variation in oxygen levels. Specifically, climate oscillations may influence the ventilation and/or productivity of deep water in Puget Sound and particularly their least mixed regions.     

Magnetic Characterization of Amphibolites from the Fomopéa Pluton (West Cameroon): Their Implication in the Pan-African Deformation of the Central African Fold Belt

The Fomopea granitic pluton is emplaced in gnessic and amphibolitic basement.These gneissic and amphibolitic basement rocks are represented in the pluton's body as sub-rounded,elongated or stretched xe...     

Stately home geology: Kelmscott Manor,Oxfordshire, UK

Kelmscott Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames in Oxfordshire is a place of pilgrimage for social historians and conversationalists as well as those who simply want to turn the clock back to a rural England long departed. The manor was leased to William Morris in 1871 to be his family home until long after his death in 1896—their escape from the hectic daily life in London. At that point, Morris spent the previous 10 years building up the crafts business for which he is best known, the patterned textiles and wallpaper designs and the basic wooden furniture we associate with the Arts and Crafts Movement. It can be difficult to remember that much of the respected craftwork was generated in the East End of London by gifted craftsmen.     

Genesis and solvus relations of submicroscopically intergrown paragonite and phengite in a blueschist from northern California

Electron microbeam techniques have been used to examine submicroscopically intergrown paragonite, phengite and chlorite from the South Fork Mountain Schist of the Franciscan Terrane of northern California, which was subjected to blueschist facies metamorphism. The sample also contains quartz, albite, lawsonite, and rutile. The subassemblage albite-lawsonite-rutile requires metamorphic conditions on the low-temperature side of the equilibrium albite+lawsonite+rutile=paragonite+sphene+quartz+H₂O (T<200° C and P<7.4 kbars based on thermodynamic data of Holland and Powell 1990). The white micas appear to be optically homogeneous, but back-scattered electron images can distinguish two different micas by their slight difference in contrast. Electron microprobe analyses (EMPA) of micas show Na/(Na+K) ranging from 0.2 to 0.8. The two micas are resolved by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as packets of phengite and paragonite that range from 20 to several hundred nm in thickness. The compositions, determined by analytical electron microscopy (AEM), constrain the limbs of the phengite-paragonite solvus to values of Na/(Na+K)=<0.02 and 0.97, representing less mutual solid solution than ever reported by EMPA. The textural relations imply that the sheet silicates were derived from reactions between fluids and detrital clays and that they are in an intermediate stage of textural development. We caution that microprobe analyses of apparently homogeneous sheet silicates may yield erroneous data and lead to faulty conclusions using phengite barometry and paragonite-muscovite thermometry, especially in fine-grained rocks that formed at relatively low temperatures. Contribution no. 473 from the Mineralogical Laboratory, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA     

Depositional environment of a Kimmeridgian carbonate 'black band' (Akkuyu Formation, south-western Turkey)

The Upper Jurassic Akkuyu Formation of south-western Turkey consists of pale-coloured carbonate facies, but includes a peculiar ‘black band’ at its base. In order to characterize the depositional environment of this level, a sedimentological, organic and inorganic geochemical study was performed on 30 samples. Three units are distinguished. Unit 1 consists of black marlstones, very rich in organic carbon (22–30%) with HI (hydrogen index) values around 600. The organic matter is an amorphous homogeneous material even at nanoscopic scale. This unit is also characterized by a very high concentration of V ( >1000 p.p.m.) and a δ¹³C_org value around ?26·5‰. Unit 2 shows thin-bedded black limestones with chert layers. Its organic content varies from 2% to 6%. As in unit 1, the HI values are uniformly high (600), and gas chromatography shows a high quantity of hopanes. The V concentration is also high (≈400 p.p.m.). The unit has a high Sr/Ca ratio, an organic carbon isotopic ratio close to ?28·7‰ and diffuse, nanoscopically amorphous organic material that is closely associated with pyrite. Unit 3 corresponds to the white limestones overlying the ‘black band’. This calcitic facies is almost devoid of organic carbon (<0·1%). The δ¹³C_org values are similar to those of unit 1 (?25·5‰ to ?26‰). Deposition occurred in a basinal environment surrounded by a carbonate platform. Primary productivity was high but not exceptional; terrestrial organic inputs were scarce. Bottom waters were probably euxinic during the deposition of unit 1. The presence of both hopane-rich and sulphur-rich nanoscopically amorphous organic matter may be the result of strong sulphate-reducing bacterial activity. Coupled with low amounts of iron, this led to intense vulcanization of the organic matter and thus good preservation. With the onset of unit 2 deposition, environmental conditions became less extreme, perhaps because of cooler water temperatures. Finally, the depositional conditions became oxic, leading to the accumulation of pale-coloured organic-poor limestones of unit 3.     

The removal kinetics of dissolved organic matter and the optical clarity of groundwater

Concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and ultraviolet/visible light absorbance decrease systematically as groundwater moves through the unsaturated zones overlying aquifers and along flowpaths within aquifers. These changes occur over distances of tens of meters (m) implying rapid removal kinetics of the chromophoric DOM that imparts color to groundwater. A one-compartment input-output model was used to derive a differential equation describing the removal of DOM from the dissolved phase due to the combined effects of biodegradation and sorption. The general solution to the equation was parameterized using a 2-year record of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration changes in groundwater at a long-term observation well. Estimated rates of DOC loss were rapid and ranged from 0.093 to 0.21 micromoles per liter per day (μM d^?1), and rate constants for DOC removal ranged from 0.0021 to 0.011 per day (d^?1). Applying these removal rate constants to an advective-dispersion model illustrates substantial depletion of DOC over flow-path distances of 200 m or less and in timeframes of 2 years or less. These results explain the low to moderate DOC concentrations (20–75 μM; 0.26–1 mg L^?1) and ultraviolet absorption coefficient values (a ₂₅₄?<?5 m^?1) observed in groundwater produced from 59 wells tapping eight different aquifer systems of the United States. The nearly uniform optical clarity of groundwater, therefore, results from similarly rapid DOM-removal kinetics exhibited by geologically and hydrologically dissimilar aquifers.     

Chemical evolution of the Mt. Hekla,Iceland, groundwaters: A natural analogue for CO2 sequestration in basaltic rocks

A detailed study of the chemical composition of the groundwater surrounding the Mt. Hekla volcano in south Iceland was performed to assess fluid evolution and toxic metal mobility during CO₂-rich fluid basalt interaction. These fluids provide a natural analogue for evaluating the consequences of CO₂ sequestration in basalt. The concentration of dissolved inorganic C in these groundwaters decreases from 3.88 to 0.746 mmol/kg with increasing basalt dissolution while the pH increases from 6.9 to 9.2. This observation provides direct evidence of the potential for basalt dissolution to sequester CO₂. Reaction path calculations suggest that dolomite and calcite precipitation is largely responsible for this drop in groundwater dissolved C concentration. The concentrations of toxic metal(loid)s in the waters are low, for example the maximum measured concentrations of Cd, As and Pb were 0.09, 22.8 and 0.06 nmol/kg, respectively. Reaction path modelling indicates that although many toxic metals may be initially liberated by the dissolution of basalt by acidic CO₂-rich solutions, these metals are reincorporated into solid phases as the groundwaters are neutralized by continued basalt dissolution. The identity of the secondary toxic metal bearing phases depends on the metal. For example, calculations suggest that Sr and Ba are incorporated into carbonates, while Pb, Zn and Cd are incorporated into Fe (oxy)hydroxide phases.     

Establishing constraints on groundwater ages with Cl,C, H,and noble gases: A case study in the eastern Paris basin,France

Groundwaters from the Tithonian/Kimmeridgian, Oxfordian and Upper Dogger aquifers, within the eastern part of the Paris basin (France), were characterised using ³H, ¹⁴C and ³⁶Cl, and noble gases tracers, to evaluate their residence times and determine their recharge period. This information is an important prerequisite to evaluating the confinement properties of the Callovo-Oxfordian clay formation sandwiched between the Oxfordian aquifer and the Dogger aquifer, currently being investigated by the French nuclear waste management agency (Andra) for radioactive waste disposal. Data presented in this paper are used to test 4 hypotheses.     

Swimming behavior of Dungeness crab,Cancer magister Dana,megalopae in still and moving water

In the Grays Harbor estuary, juvenile Dungeness crab (Cancer magister Dana) are found at higher densities in epibenthic shell deposits compared to open mud flat. Differences in predation rate between habitats have been suggested to be due to habitat preference and differential survival. Megalopae preferred shell over open space in still-water conditions. However, it is not known whether megalopae are able to select shell in flowing water since larval preference is known to differ between still and flowing water. Here we report the first experimental study of swimming behavior of Dungeness crab megalopae in a range of current velocities (0–40 cm s^?1) equivalent to natural flow in Grays Harbor estuary. Experiments were conducted in daylight using a recirculating flume. Megalopae swimming speeds ranged from 8.5 cm s^?1 (8 body lengths s^?1) in still water to 44.8 cm s^?1 (44 body lengths s^?1) at flow speeds of 40 cm s^?1, Neither swimming behavior nor sheltering behavior in shells showed any flow-related pattern. Megalopae spent a large proportion of time swimming against the current and made headway upstream against all current velocities tested. The results suggest that Dungeness crab megalopae are able to maneuver and actively search for settlement sites under current velocities found in natural habitats, including intertidal shell deposits, and support the hypothesis of active selection of shell by megalopae.