Oceanographic controls on the carbon isotopic compositions of sinking particles from the Cariaco Basin

This study examined the relationship between carbon isotopic composition of sinking organic matter (OM) and the biological, physical and chemical properties of the surface ocean in the Cariaco Basin. The ¹³C/¹²C ratio of OM (δ¹³C_org) in sinking particles was determined on sediment trap samples from four depths collected from 1996 to 1999 as part of the CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean time series. Water column properties, including temperature, productivity, chlorophyll and concentration of dissolved CO₂, were concurrently measured on monthly cruises. The δ¹³C_org varied from a high of –17.7‰ to a low of –22.6‰ during the study period. The variation of the δ¹³C_org throughout seasonal cycles was directly proportional to the strength of upwelling and was negatively correlated with temperature (r²=0.64). During the 1996–1997 upwelling event, the strongest during the study period, the δ¹³C_org increased by 4.4‰ whereas during the 1998–1999 upwelling event, the weakest during the study period, the δ¹³C_org only increased by 3.3‰. Contrary to most previous studies, we observed a negative relationship (r²=0.53) between [CO_2 aq] and the estimated isotopic fractionation factor (ε_p). However, there was no correlation between ε_p and the calculated growth rates indicating that there was non-diffusive uptake of carbon into phytoplankton cells. It thus appears that [CO_2 aq] does not control the δ¹³C_org in the water column of the study site. The best explanation for the isotopic enrichment observed is a carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) in phytoplankton. The existence of a CCM in phytoplankton has major implications for the interpretation of the δ¹³C_org in the Cariaco Basin.     

Dike intrusion under shear stress: Effects on magnetic and vesicle fabrics in dikes from rift zones of Tenerife (Canary Islands)

A theoretical model predicting how anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and vesicle fabrics are modified by shear stress resolved on the dike walls prior to the final cooling of magma is developed for vertical dikes. The resulting fabrics are asymmetric with respect to initial fabrics assumed to be symmetric. Application of this model together with collected data on magma flow direction, dike propagation direction and mechanism, and shear sense, allow us to interpret dike fabrics in terms of shear resolved on the dike walls during intrusion (en echelon arrangement, offsetting, and dike curvature). The interpretation of AMS and vesicle fabrics of the margins of four dikes shows a reasonable agreement with the proposed theoretical models, suggesting that asymmetric fabrics can be used to infer magma flow and may provide valuable information on the shear resolved on the dike walls during intrusion.     

Organic composition of atmospheric urban aerosol: Variations and sources of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The non-polar organic composition of airborne particulate matter was analysed over a two year period in an urban area under oceanic climate conditions (Errenteria, Basque Country, Spain). In addition, the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) among different aerosol particle sizes was determined. Clues as to the origin of various particle types were gained by using scanning electron microscopy to view the morphology of the particulates in each size fraction. Samples were collected on glass fibre filters and analysed by means of soxhlet extraction and gas chromatography (either with a flame ionization detector or coupled to a mass spectrometry). In general, total PAH levels were moderate (0.96–50 ng m^− 3) as compared to other studies conducted in Europe, and showed clear seasonal variation with maxima in winter and minima in summer. Vehicular traffic was identified as a major source of PAHs in the study area. Regarding particle size, a bimodal distribution was observed. The large sized particles exhibited an apparent seasonal variation with higher concentrations in winter than in summer. The dependences between particle size, PAH distribution and meteorological variables were studied with multivariate statistics. Three main sources of organic compounds were identified: combustion, vegetation, and atmospheric oxidation.     

Equity implications of marketing ecosystem services in protected areas and rural communities: Case studies from Meso-America

This paper investigates the equity implications of marketing ecosystem services in protected areas and rural communities. We use a three-tiered equity framework to analyse four distinct efforts to commercialise watershed recharge and carbon dioxide fixation by forests in Meso-America. We show that project development and participation are strongly mediated by organisational networks, as well as existing rights of access over land and forest resources. We demonstrate that procedural fairness diverges strongly when initiatives are implemented in protected areas or in rural communities. While in the former reserve managers and intermediaries concentrate all decision-making power, initiatives working with rural communities are able to integrate more significantly service providers in management decisions. Marketing ecosystem services in protected areas contributes to reduce expenditure rates for protected area management, but also results in less equitable outcomes, as rural communities and forest resource users become excluded from receiving sustained development benefits. When ecosystem services are commercialised by rural farmers, payments do not cover opportunity costs but act as a significant incentive for participation in most cases. Ecosystem service providers also benefit from complementary project activities, such as forest management training and agricultural extension support. We argue that limited economic impact and existing inequities in decision-making and outcomes can be explained by problems of institutional design, in particular the inability of markets and payments for ecosystem services to account for context-related factors, such as property rights.     

Las Matras Block, Central Argentina (37°S-67°W): the Southernmost Cuyania Terrane and its Relationship with the Famatinian Orogeny

The Las Matras Block in Central Argentina constitutes the southernmost part of the Cuyania terrane, which was accreted to the southwestern margin of Gondwana during the Early to Mid Ordovician Famatinian orogeny. The Grenville-aged rocks of the Las Matras Block are represented by the tonalitic to trondhjemitic Las Matras pluton. A new U-Pb conventional zircon age of 1244±42 Ma confirms previous Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochron ages of this pluton. Mineral composition data are consistent with the tonalitic-trondhjemitic character of the pluton, and constrain its emplacement level to 1.9 to 2.6 kb. This shallow level of emplacement and the undeformed character of the pluton are distinctive features of this southernmost basement. A regional comparison indicates that the igneous-metamorphic evolution of the Grenville-aged basement rocks of the Cuyania terrane occurred over a period of more than 200 million years, with ages older than 1200 Ma up to those close to 1000 Ma. The shallowest crustal level is found in Las Matras, suggesting a southward shallowing of the exposed level of basement. The deformation and metamorphism associated with the collisional Famatinian orogeny affect both the Cuyania terrane and the adjacent western margin of Gondwana, and the Gondwana margin was also the locus of the related arc magmatism, but the compressive effects of the collision decrease in intensity toward the south. The Famatinian metamorphism and magmatism continue even further south into the Patagonia region, but the southern continuity of the Cuyania terrane into this region remains uncertain.     

Internal structure of a collapsed terrain: The Lújar syncline and its significance for the fold- and sheet-structure of the Alborán Domain (Betic Cordilleras, Spain)

Detailed structural analysis of the Sierra de Lújar in the western Alpujarras region (Betic Cordilleras, S Spain), a very representative area of the terrain known as the Alborán Domain, has revealed the existence of a very large N-vergent recumbent syncline which involves the whole mountain massif and neighbouring areas. The Lújar syncline and, probably, the associated recumbent anticline which crops out southeast of Sierra de Lújar show a great variation in the orientation of the hinge line. Although having a curved shape, the hinge line is contained in a plane whose attitude coincides with the main attitude of the axial-plane crenulation foliation (Sc), suggesting that it is a sheath fold.The strongly deformed overturned limb of the syncline is cut by two low-angle normal faults displacing towards the north. Similarity in the kinematics between the faults and the fold, and the association between the faults and the high-strain zone in the overturned limb of the fold, suggest that they are related. Regional constraints on the age of the crenulation cleavage and the low-angle normal faults indicate that they formed during the early Miocene late-orogenic extensional event in the Alborán Domain.We propose an alternate explanation for the structure of the Alpujarras region in which the Lújar syncline forms part of a recumbent syncline–anticline pair that extends along much of the Alpujarride outcrop in the southern Betic Cordillera. In several places, the fold is disrupted by low-angle normal faults, and it is overlain by an upper Alpujárride extensional sheet mainly composed of medium- to high-grade metamorphic rocks. We suggest that all these structures arose from the extensional deformation under decreasing temperature conditions of a previously thickened and metamorphosed orogenic crust.     

Uranium (VI) sorption on colloidal magnetite under anoxic environment: experimental study and surface complexation modelling

Magnetite is one of the most important end member of iron corrosion products under a reducing environment; therefore, it may be one of the first products interacting with radionuclides in a radioactive waste disposal after the canister failure.Nanocrystalline magnetite was synthetised in the laboratory and its main physico-chemical properties (microstructure, surface area, surface charge) were analysed. The stability of the oxide was also investigated under the experimental conditions used in sorption studies. The sorption behaviour of U^VI onto magnetite was analysed under O₂- and CO₂-free conditions in a wide range of pH, ionic strengths and radionuclide concentrations.The uranyl binding to magnetite is characterised by a sorption edge between pH 4 and 5.5, and sorption was found to be independent on the electrolyte concentration, which indicates the formation of inner sphere complexes. The sorption isotherms showed a linear behaviour up to the saturation of the sorption sites with a Langmuir-type behaviour.One of the aims of this work was to find the simplest model capable to reproduce the experimental data. Sorption data were fitted using a classical approximation (diffuse double layer model), considering only one type of surface site and evaluating two different options: the first one involving two different monodentate complexes, and the second one a single binuclear bidentate complex. A highly satisfactory fit of the experimental data was obtained by both approaches in the range of the experimental conditions investigated.     

Further absolute geomagnetic paleointensities from Baja California: evaluation of Pliocene and Early/Middle Pleistocene data

From a large collection (more than 300 oriented cores) of Baja California Mio-Pliocene volcanic units, sampled for magnetostratigraphy and tectonics, 46 samples were selected for Thellier paleointensity experiments because of their low viscosity index, stable remanent magnetization and close to reversible continuous thermomagnetic curves. 19 samples, coming from 4 individual basaltic lava flows, yielded reliable paleointensity estimates with the flow-mean virtual dipole moments (VDM) ranging from 3.6 to 6.2 ×10²² A m². Our results, although not numerous, are of high technical quality and comparable to other paleointensity data recently obtained on younger lava flows. The NRM fractions used for paleointensity determination range from 38 to 79% and the quality factors vary between 4.8 and 16.7, being normally greater than 5. The combination of Baja California data with the available comparable quality Plio-Plesitocene paleointensity results yields a mean VDM of 6.3 ×10²² A m², which is almost 80% of the present geomagnetic axial dipole. Reliable paleointensity results for the last 5 Ma are still scarce and of dissimilar quality, which makes it hard to draw any firm conclusions regarding the Pliocene and Early/Middle Pleistocene evolution of the geomagnetic field. To cite this article: J. Morales et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Spectroscopic Study of the Cygnus Superbubble

The Cygnus Superbubble is a ring-like structure asociated with atomic and molecular gas, dust and objects related to recent star forming activity. Its origin and nature has been interpreted both as a single structure originated in OB asociations or as an arrangement of unrelated objects. We present a high resolution spectroscopic study of this region designed to probe the velocity and density structure of the gas asociated with the Superbubble. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.