The estuarine clamRangia cuneata as a biomonitor of dioxins and furans in the Neches River,Taylor Bayou,and Fence Lake,Texas

Polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were measured in the tissues of the estuarine clamRangia cuneata at four sites in the Neches River that had been subjected to paper mill effluent and at two remote sites. One of the river samplings was taken before dioxin control measures and another 2 yr after the control measures began. Measurable concentrations of PCDD/Fs were present at all sites, but higher concentrations were present at the Neches River sites. Whole tissue concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD) and all PCDD congeners for the two collections were not significantly different (p>0.05), but lipid-normalized concentrations for the two collections were significantly different (p<0.05). Highest concentrations of PCDDs at sites located 8 km and 16 km upriver from the paper mill effluent outfall indicated that the materials were transported upriver by saltwater intrusion and/or that nonpoint sources existed upriver. The presences of PCDD/Fs in clam tissues from the remote sites also indicated that other sources of these materials existed. Even under extreme physiological conditions (spent reproductive phase, low lipid contents, water temperature 10°C; ripe reproductive phase, high lipids, water temperature 32°C)Rangia cuneata was an effective biomonitor to determine the distribution of PCDD/Fs at specific sites. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY069 00021     

Three-dimensional analysis of spatially varying ground motions around a uniform canyon in a homogeneous half-space

Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A. A direct boundary element method to determine the three-dimensional seismic response of an infinitely-long canyon of arbitrary but uniform cross-section cut in a homogeneous viscoelastic half-space is presented. The seismic excitation is represented by P, SV, SH or Rayleigh waves at arbitrary angles with respect to the axis of the canyon. The accuracy of the procedure and implementing computer program is demonstrated by comparison with previous solutions for the limiting case of two-dimensional response, recently obtained three-dimensional response results for infinitely-long canyons, and three-dimensional boundary method solutions presented in this paper for finite canyons.     

Geochemical consequences of flow differentiation in a multiple injection dike (Trinity ophiolite, N. California)

A clinopyroxene-rich dike of the Trinity ophiolite sheeted-dike complex shows three different magmatic pulses, probably injected in a short period of time (no well developed chilled margin) and important variations of the clinopyroxene and plagioclase percentages between its core (highly porphyritic) and margins (aphyric). This variation, interpreted as related to a flow differentiation phenomenon (mechanical phenocryst redistribution), has important geochemical consequences. It produces increases in the FeO, MgO, CaO, Cr and Ni contents from the margin to the core, together with increases in the clinopyroxene percentage, and decreases in the SiO₂, Zr, Y, Nb and REE contents together with a decrease in the percentage of the fine-grained groundmass toward the core of the dike. This mineralogical redistribution, which also affects the incompatible trace element ratios because of the difference in plagioclase and clinopyroxene mineral/liquid partition coefficients, illustrate the importance of fractionation processes outside of a magma chamber.     

Comparison between natural and artificial maturation series of humic coals from the Mahakam delta,Indonesia

Type III (humic) organic matter from the Mahakam delta (Indonesia) was chosen to compare artificial and natural coal series. Powdered and concentrated immature organic matter was heated in sealed gold tubes for 24 hr at temperatures ranging from 250 to 550°C and under pressures ranging from 0.5 to 4 kb, with and without water. Both elemental and Rock-Eval analyses were used to characterize the products. A comparison between our results, published data and the natural model shows that, quantitatively, natural maturation is simulated better when pyrolysis is performed under confined conditions (no free volume, no diluting inert gas). Thus, pyrolysis in a medium swept by an inert gas, vacuum pyrolysis and some pyrolysis in sealed glass tubes must be considered to be poor simulation tools. The presence of water does not seem to have an essential effect. Allowing the hydrocarbons formed to reach a certain value of partial pressure seems to be important. Results are unchanged when external pressure varies from 0.5 to 4 kb.     

Importance of the oxidation/maturation pair in the evolution of humic coals

The natural thermal evolution of type III coals (Humic origin) is expressed during diagenesis by a loss of oxygen as CO₂ and H₂O. Other phenomena such as oxidation can cause extensive geochemical modifications and may complicate the effects of simple maturation.Humic coals from the Jurassic in southeastern Utah were studied by elemental analysis, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and infrared spectroscopy. In a van Krevelen diagram (atomic H/C vs atomic O/C), the samples fall within the envelope defined by 860 reference humic coals covering the entire range of diagenesis. Nevertheless, various criteria (geochemical, petrographic, geological and microscopic) cast doubt upon the interpretation that such a distribution of coal composition results from thermal maturation.The same criteria indicate the intervention of redox phenomena. Comparison of our results with those from artificial and natural oxidation shows that these coals were subjected to an oxidation process different from ordinary late alteration. This process was probably due to circulation of highly oxidizing saline water causing oxygen fixation and the transformation of carboxyls into carboxylate anions. The cations that were fixed are oxygenated and certainly contain calcium, but also uranium and perhaps several other cations (V, Mo, Fe...). Emphasis is placed on possible mechanisms that cause such phenomena.     

Seasonal control of the Saint-Lawrence maximum turbidity zone by tidal-flat sedimentation

The core of the turbidity maximum zone in the Saint-Lawrence Estuary is located in the North Channel and oscillates in front of the large (3×10⁶ m²) intertidal flats and marshes of Cap Tourmente. It is shown that seasonal fluctuations in the intensity and the position of this core are mainly determined by suspended sediment exchanges between the channel and the marshes. Fine sediments, most of them found 20 km downstream in the channel off Cap Maillard in late winter and early spring, are advected upstream over the flats during the summer months by the tide. The deposition, favored by marsh plant growth, reaches 5×10⁵ metric tons in three months. A period of intense erosion, at a mean rate of 4,500 metric tons per tide, coincides with the destruction of the plant cover by migratory geese. The material removed fills up the Chenal de l’Île d’Orléans upstream and is flushed back into the water column during the next spring freshette. This rotating seasonal sediment circulation, although very localized, exerts a major influence on the distribution and storage time of suspended particles in the upper estuary.     

Understanding the inelastic seismic behaviour of asymmetric-plan buildings

Studied in this paper is the inelastic seismic behaviour of asymmetric-plan buildings using the histories of base shear and torque. The first step in understanding this behaviour is to construct the base shear and torque surface (BST) for the building, which represents all combinations of shear and torque that applied statically lead to collapse of the structure. Several factors controlling the shape of this surface, such as strength eccentricity and bidirectional ground motion, are identified. Also, their effects on the building responses are studied considering several structural configurations. The results obtained show that the BST surface, in conjunction with the base-shear and torque histories, provides a useful conceptual framework for understanding the behaviour of asymmetric systems. Furthermore, using these surfaces, relevant aspects of the behaviour and design of such buildings become apparent even before dynamic analysis of the structure.     

Local isotropy and anisotropy in the sheared and heated atmospheric surface layer

Longitudinal velocity and temperature measurements above a uniform dry lakebed were used to investigate sources of eddy-motion anisotropy within the inertial subrange. Rather than simply test the adequacy of locally isotropic relations, we investigated directly the sources of anisotropy. These sources, in a daytime desert-like climate, include: (1) direct interaction between the large-scale and small-scale eddy motion, and (2) thermal effects on the small-scale eddy motion. In order to explore these two anisotropy sources, we developed statistical measures that are sensitive to such interactions. It was found that the large-scale/small-scale interaction was significant in the inertial subrange up to 3 decades below the production scale, thus reducing the validity of the local isotropy assumption. The anisotropy generated by thermal effects was also significant and comparable in magnitude to the former anisotropy source. However, this thermal anisotropy was opposite in sign and tended to counteract the anisotropy generated by the large-scale/smallscale interaction. The thermal anisotropy was attributed to organized ramp-like patterns in the temperature measurements. The impact of this anisotropy cancellation on the dynamics of inertial subrange eddy motion was also considered. For that purpose, the Kolmogorov-Obukhov structure function equation, as derived from the Navier-Stokes equations for locally isotropic turbulence, was employed. The Kolmogorov-Obukhov structure function equation in conjunction with Obukhov's constant skewness closure hypothesis reproduced the measured second- and third-order structure functions. Obukhov's constant skewness closure scheme, which is also based on the local isotropy assumption, was verified and was found to be in good agreement with the measurements. The accepted 0.4 constant skewness value derived from grid turbulence experiments overestimated our measurements. A suggested 0.26 constant skewness value, which we derived from Kolmogorov's constant, was found to be adequate.