Quantification of Metals and Semimetals in Carbon‐Rich Rocks: A New Sequential Protocol Including Extraction from Humic Substances

We have developed a new sequential extraction technique that does not require complex procedures and is efficient in determining metal and semimetal contents of carbon‐rich rocks. Six geological reference materials (SBC‐1, SCHS‐1, SCo‐1, SDO‐1, SGR‐1b and SLg‐1) and an in‐house black shale (SH‐1) were selected to test the method, which consists of four main digestion steps involving: (a) dilute HCl acid; (b) NaOH; (c) aqua regia; and (d) hydrofluoric acid. Compared with traditional aqua regia + hydrofluoric acid attack, this new protocol recovers more of the moderately volatile elements during early extraction of humic substances. In addition when compared with reference values, those for most elements are in agreement within uncertainty. Furthermore, this new protocol reveals important information on the partitioning of elements; for instance, steps one and two indicate which elements are associated with carbonates and organic phases from fulvic and humic acid extractions, whereas step three provides results for which elements are associated with sulfide minerals and step four indicates which elements remained in the silicate and oxide phases.     

Platinum-group elements in the Boulder Bed,western Bushveld Complex,South Africa

Concentrations of platinum-group elements in samples from the Boulder Bed at five localities in the western Bushveld Complex range between 50 ppb and 70 ppm. Boulders thus have much more variable, and sometimes highly enriched, PGE contents relative to the other lithologies in the immediate foot-wall sequence of the Merensky Reef. The PGE enrichment can largely be modelled as a result of primary magmatic processes including collection of PGE by segregating sulphide melt and fractionation of mss. Other features of the Boulder Bed, such as the selvages of pure anorthosite and the chromitite stringers surrounding some of the boulders, bear evidence of recrystallisation. A model is proposed by which the Boulder Bed formed as a result of a combination of early and late magmatic processes. The PGEs were collected by magmatic sulphide melt which accumulated in a pyroxenite layer. The host rock to the pyroxenite was a thick package of norites which recrystallised in response to upward-migrating magmatic fluids. The fluids caused partial hydration melting of the norites adjacent to the pyroxenite, producing anorthosite. The boulders represent the broken-up remnants of the pyroxenite layer. The selvages of chromite and pure anorthosite around some of the boulders remain poorly understood, but may represent the latest recrystallisation event, in response to localised late-magmatic fluid overpressure upon cooling.     

Seasonality of Competition in Early Development of Subtidal Encrusting Communities

Abstract. Settlement panels immersed at Lough Hyne, County Cork, Ireland, at six stations with widely different flow regimes were retrieved at monthly intervals. Between 40 and 62 taxa were identified at each station during the study period. Percentage cover, number of interactions and number of recruits were recorded. Space occupied was found to vary more than 2.5 orders of magnitude between stations and seasons (0.3 – 82 %). Competition for space was most intense during summer, when recruitment was highest. More than 3600 interactions between pairs of species were recorded and competitive matrices are presented for the two stations with the most interactions. Both number of interactions and % cover were significantly higher at sites with greater water flow. The nature and the degree of competition varied between sites, with the most intense competition occurring in the very high flow sites with a large proportion of intra­specific encounters. Colonial species were more evident at the sites with high flow. Certain solitary species (notably Anomia ephippium and Pomatoceros spp.) were successful competitors in encounters with cheilostomatid bryozoans. Solitary species may prevent space monopolisation by the faster-growing bryozoans. 'Typical' early successional species, notably bryozoans such as Celleporella hyalina and Microporella ciliata, were more abundant at the more disturbed sites, implying either a larger adult population and/or preferential settlement of these species at such sites.     

The mutagenicity of acid digests from several common marine macroalgae (Fucus serratus,Porphyra umbilicalis,Enteromorpha spp.)

Acid digests of three common marine macroalgae (Fucus serratus, Enteromorpha spp., Porphyra umbilicalis) exhibit substantial mutagenic activity for Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100 in the microtire fluctuation test. Although these algae are known to concentrate heavy metals, the mutagen(s) is probably an organic compound(s).Collections of these three marine macroalgae were made along the Gower coast of Wales, Great Britain, at distances between 8·0 and 32·0 km from the industrial center of Swansea-Port Talbot. When tested for mutagenicity with TA98, the acid digests of F. serratus and Enteromorpha spp. showed an inverse relationship between activity and distance from Swansea-Port Talbot. This relationship was not observed with P. umbilicalis or with any of the digests when tested with TA100.These data are consistent with the hypothesis that Swansea-Port Talbot is a point emitter for contaminants which are mutagenic for TA98 and are accumulated by Enteromorpha and Fucus.     

Eastern Cook Strait region circulation inferred from satellite‐derived,sea‐surface,temperature data

Sea‐surface temperature data from satellite imagery is used to improve the understanding of the ocean‐current circulation of an area to the south‐east of Cook Strait, New Zealand. A dominant feature of the satellite imagery is an eddy, apparently locked in position, which has a considerable influence on the interaction of the East Cape Current and the Southland Current which meet in this region.     

Effects of sample size on numerical estimates of diel prey consumption in a fish population

Numerical data based on stomach content analysis of the zooplanktivorous freshwater fish, Retropinna semoni, were used to examine the effect of fish sample size on mean counts of dominant prey items. Fifty adult R. semoni were collected from throughout the open‐water of Lake Benanee, Australia at each of five times over a diel period. Bootstrapping was used to generate confidence intervals around sample means, and markedly more accurate means were obtained from samples collected in the day than the night. High variation in night samples was the by‐product of a diurnal feeding regime. Traditional sample sizes of 10 to 15 stomachs resulted in reasonable confidence intervals of sample means derived from collections on the first day, corresponding to uniform feeding patterns in the population. However, increased sample sizes were required to describe more complex feeding behaviour on the second day, when a proportion of the population switched to an alternative prey source.     

The Contribution of Variability of Lift-induced Upwash to the Uncertainty in Vertical Winds Determined from an Aircraft Platform

Aircraft-based vertical flux measurements fill a gap in the spatial domain for studies of biosphere–atmosphere exchange. To acquire valid flux data, a determination of the deviation from the mean vertical wind, w′, is essential. When using aircraft platforms, flux measurements are subject to systematic and random errors from airflow distortion caused by the lift-induced upwash ahead of the aircraft. Although upwash is typically considered to be a constant quantity over periods used for calculating fluxes, it can vary significantly over short (and longer) periods due to changes in aircraft lift. The characterization of such variations in upwash are of undeniable importance to flux measurements, especially when real-time computations of w′ are required. In this paper, the variability in upwash was compared to the calculated upwash from the model of Crawford et al. (Boundary-Layer Meteorol, 80:79–94, 1996) using data taken during a long-period (phugoid mode) free oscillation of the aircraft. The cyclic variation of lift during the free oscillation offers an ideal scenario in which to acquire in-flight data on the upwash that is present, as well as to test the capability of upwash correction models. Our results indicate that while this model corrects for much of the mean upwash, there can be significant variations in upwash on a time scale that is important to flux measurements. Our results suggest that use of the measured load factor could be an easily implemented operational constraint to minimize uncertainty in w′ due to changing upwash from changing aircraft lift. We estimate, using the phugoid data, and from variations in aircraft attitude and airspeed in flux-measurement configuration, that the uncertainty in w caused by variable upwash is approximately ± 0.05 m s⁻¹.     

“Not Only … But Also”: Quantitative and Critical Geography

Urban governments frequently compete with each other in their efforts to attract new business enterprises that would contribute needed jobs and tax revenues. The results of this competition, however, often depend upon the bargaining resources available to the adversaries. The rivalry between South Bend and an adjacent municipal jurisdiction for a Sears department store provides an example of how differing resources may influence the outcome of such competition and how in general the process is biased toward suburban locations.