Geochemical fractionation and ecological risks assessment of benthic sediment-bound heavy metals from coastal ecosystems off the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

This study determines the pollution, fractionation, and ecological risks of sediment-bound heavy metals from coastal ecosystems off the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Contamination Factor(CF), pollution load index(PLI), and geoaccumulation index(Igeo) were used to assess the extent of the heavy metal pollution, while the potential ecological risk was evaluated using the risks assessment code(RAC) and Hkanson potential ecological risk. The analysis revealed concentrations(mg/g, dw) of the cadmium(Cd),chromium(Cr), copper(Cu), nickel(Ni), and lead(Pb) in sediments for wet and dry seasons vary from 4.40-5.08, 14.80-21.09. 35.03-44.8, 2.14-2.28, and 172.24-196.39, respectively. The results also showed that the metal fractionation percentages in the residual, oxidizable, and reducible fractions are the most significant, while the exchangeable and carbonate bound trace metals are relatively low. The RAC values indicate no risk for Cd and Ni and low risk for other metals at all the studied sites during both seasons.Potential ecological risk analysis of the heavy metal concentrations indicates that Cd had high individual potential ecological risk, while the other metals have low risk at all investigated sites. The multi-elemental potential ecological risk indices(R_1) indicate high ecological risk in all the ecosystems.     

Accurate Derivation of Total and Stratospheric Vertical Columns of NO2 from Ground-Based Zenith-Sky Measurements

A new method for retrieving the vertical profile of NO2 from ground-based measurements is applied to four months of measurements made at Aberdeen (57°N) during part of SESAME from November 1994 to April 1995. The retrieval method is shown to be an invaluable tool both for deriving the true NO2 vertical column and for removing the tropospheric contribution to the vertical column. This dramatically reduces the effects of tropospheric pollution in the observations and enables a more appropriate comparison with stratospheric 3-D model results. The comparison confirms the accuracy of the model's transport and its reactive nitrogen photochemistry, although there are some detailed discrepancies.     

Recurrence of the world’s largest green-tide in 2009 in Yellow Sea, China: Porphyra yezoensis aquaculture rafts confirmed as nursery for macroalgal blooms

In the summer of 2008, the world’s largest green-tide occurred in the Yellow Sea, China. The hypothesized cause was the expansion of Porphyra yezoensis aquaculture along the Jiangsu coastline and the re-occurrence of a green-tide in 2009 was predicted. In this study, satellite and field images showed the formation of the June 2009 green-tide which again originated from the Jiangsu coast. The responsible species, its source and biomass accumulation were studied to support the previous hypothesis. Morphological and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the homology of Ulva prolifera in the 2008 green-tide with the U. prolifera from P. yezoensis aquaculture rafts. About 91-505 kg/ha of U. prolifera was attached to the P. yezoensis aquaculture rafts and a total biomass of 4956 tonnes was estimated during the harvesting of P. yezoensis. This is sufficient to seed a bloom when they are dislodged from the rafts as a result of harvesting practices.     

PSR J1753−2240: a mildly recycled pulsar in an eccentric binary system

We report the discovery of PSR J1753−2240 in the Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey data base. This 95-ms pulsar is in an eccentric binary system with a 13.6-d orbital period. Period derivative measurements imply a characteristic age in excess of 1 Gyr, suggesting that the pulsar has undergone an episode of accretion-induced spin-up. The eccentricity and spin period are indicative of the companion being a second neutron star, so that the system is similar to that of PSR J1811−1736, although other companion types cannot be ruled out at this time. The companion mass is constrained by geometry to lie above 0.48 solar masses, although long-term timing observations will give additional constraints. If the companion is a white dwarf or a main-sequence star, optical observations may yield a direct detection of the companion. If the system is indeed one of the few known double neutron star systems, it would lie significantly far from the recently proposed spin-period/eccentricity relationship.     

Comparison of the African and the 6–9 day wave-like disturbance patterns over West-Africa and the tropical Atlantic during summer 1985

Summary Using the ECMWF and NMC analyses, this study documents the composite structures of the African and of the 6–9 day waves. In spite of the fact that the two types of disturbances develop over almost the same area, i.e. Central and West Africa and the tropical Atlantic, during the same season, i.e. summer, in spite of the fact that they have almost the same East-West velocity, i.e. 7–8 degree longitude per day, the structures of the two waves are very different.At 12.5°N, the African wave has an amplitude maximum in the meridional wind component whilst the zonal wind component is almost unperturbed. On the contrary, in the 6–9 day wave, at 12.5°N and also at 12.5°S, the zonal wind component has an amplitude maximum whilst the meridional wind component is very small and there is an amplitude maximum for the meridional wind component at the equator and 20°N.With 9 Figures     

Monitoring growth of built-up areas in indo-gangetic plain using multi-sensor remote sensing data

This paper provides an approach for rapid and accurate estimation of built-up areas on a per pixel-basis using a integration of two coarse spatial resolution remote sensing data namely DMSP-OLS and MODIS NDVI. The DMSP-OLS data due to its free availability, high temporal resolution and wide swath was used for regional level mapping of built-up areas. However, due to its low radiometric resolution, the built-up areas cannot be estimated accurately from the DMSP-OLS data. In present study, the DMSP-OLS data was combined with MODIS NDVI data to develop an Human Settlement Index (HSI) image, which estimated the fraction of built-up area on a per pixel basis. The resultant HSI image conveys more information than both the individual datasets. These temporal HSI images were then used for monitoring urban growth in Indo-Gangetic plains during the 2001–2007 time period. Thus, the present research can be very useful for regional level monitoring of built-up areas from coarse resolution data within limited time and minimal cost.     

How U.S. ocean policy and market power can reform the coral reef wildlife trade

As the world’s largest importer of marine ornamental species for the aquaria, curio, home décor, and jewelry industries, the United States has an opportunity to leverage its considerable market power to promote more sustainable trade and reduce the effects of ornamental trade stress on coral reefs worldwide. Evidence indicates that collection of some coral reef animals for these trades has caused virtual elimination of local populations, major changes in age structure, and promotion of collection practices that destroy reef habitats. Management and enforcement of collection activities in major source countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines remain weak. Strengthening US trade laws and enforcement capabilities combined with increasing consumer and industry demand for responsible conservation can create strong incentives for improving management in source countries. This is particularly important in light of the March 2010 failure of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to take action on key groups of corals.