The science of European marine reserves: Status,efficacy, and future needs

The ecologically and socio-economically important marine ecosystems of Europe are facing severe threats from a variety of human impacts. To mitigate and potentially reverse some of these impacts, the European Union (EU) has mandated the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in order to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) in EU waters by 2020. The primary initiative for achieving GES is the implementation of coherent networks of marine protected areas (MPAs). Marine reserves are an important type of MPA in which no extraction is allowed, but their usefulness depends upon a number of ecological, management, and political factors. This paper provides a synthesis of the ecological effects of existing European marine reserves and the factors (social and ecological) underlying their effectiveness. Results show that existing European marine reserves foster significant positive increases in key biological variables (density, biomass, body size, and species richness) compared with areas receiving less protection, a pattern mirrored by marine reserves around the globe. For marine reserves to achieve their ecological and social goals, however, they must be designed, managed, and enforced properly. In addition, identifying whether protected areas are ecologically connected as a network, as well as where new MPAs should be established according to the MSFD, requires information on the connectivity of populations across large areas. The adoption of the MSFD demonstrates willingness to achieve the long-term protection of Europe's marine ecosystems, but whether the political will (local, regional, and continent wide) is strong enough to see its mandates through remains to be seen. Although the MSFD does not explicitly require marine reserves, an important step towards the protection of Europe's marine ecosystems is the establishment of marine reserves within wider-use MPAs as connected networks across large spatial scales.     

The effect of spontaneous gas expansion and mobilization on the aqueous-phase concentrations above a dense non-aqueous phase liquid pool

The spontaneous expansion and mobilization of discontinuous gas above dense non-aqueous-phase liquid (DNAPL) pools can affect the aqueous-phase concentrations of the DNAPL constituents above the pool. The results of an intermediate-scale, two-dimensional flow cell experiment showed that the discontinuous gas flow produced by spontaneous expansion, driven by the partitioning of 1,1,1-TCA from the surface of a DNAPL pool, resulted in detectable aqueous-phase concentrations of 1,1,1-TCA well above the pool surface. In comparison to a conventional model for DNAPL pool dissolution in the absence of a discontinuous gas phase, these concentrations were greater than expected, and were present at greater than expected elevations. Additionally, this study showed that the discontinuous gas flow produced transient behavior in the aqueous-phase concentrations, where the elevated concentrations occurred as short-term, pulse-like events. These results suggest that the spontaneous expansion and mobilization of discontinuous gas in DNAPL source zones could lead to the misdiagnosis of source zone architecture using aqueous concentration data, and that the transient nature of the elevated concentrations could further complicate the difficult task of source zone characterization.     

Using GALEX-SDSS-PanSTARRS-HST-Gaia to understand post-AGB evolution

Hot WDs in binary systems with a less evolved star are particularly invaluable astrophysical probes, the unevolved companion enabling better derivation of distance and age than is usually possible for post-AGB objects, and therefore also of their radius and luminosity. But hot white dwarfs (WD) are elusive at all wavelengths except the UV (Bianchi et al. 2011a). From our GALEX UV source catalogs (Bianchi et al. 2011a,b, 2014, 2017) matched to SDSS, we identified thousands of candidate hot WDs including WDs in binary systems consisting of a hot WD and a companion of spectral type from A to M. The identification and preliminary characterization of the stellar parameters is based on the analysis of the photometric SED from far-UV to z-band.We have observed subsamples of the UV-selected WDs with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to better characterize their stellar parameters. We obtained (1) UV spectroscopy with STIS and analyzed the UV spectra together with optical SDSS spectra, and (2) multi-band imaging with WFC3 (\(0.04^{\prime\prime}/\mbox{pixel}\)) to measure angular separation and individual SEDs of the pair’s components in binary systems. In our HST/WFC3 sample of 59 hot-WD binaries with late-type companions, we found that at least a dozen have possibly evolved without exchanging mass. The UV STIS spectroscopy led to the revision of previous results based on optical spectra only, because of the often undetectable or unquantifiable contribution of the hot component to the optical fluxes.     

53Mn and 60Fe in iron meteorites—New data,model calculations

We measured specific activities of the long‐lived cosmogenic radionuclides ⁶⁰Fe in 28 iron meteorites and ⁵³Mn in 41 iron meteorites. Accelerator mass spectrometry was applied at the 14 MV Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility at ANU Canberra for all samples except for two which were measured at the Maier‐Leibnitz Laboratory, Munich. For the large iron meteorite Twannberg (IIG), we measured six samples for ⁵³Mn. This work doubles the number of existing individual ⁶⁰Fe data and quadruples the number of iron meteorites studied for ⁶⁰Fe. We also significantly extended the entire ⁵³Mn database for iron meteorites. The ⁵³Mn data for the iron meteorite Twannberg vary by more than a factor of 30, indicating a significant shielding dependency. In addition, we performed new model calculations for the production of ⁶⁰Fe and ⁵³Mn in iron meteorites. While the new model is based on the same particle spectra as the earlier model, we no longer use experimental cross sections but instead use cross sections that were calculated using the latest version of the nuclear model code INCL. The new model predictions differ substantially from results obtained with the previous model. Predictions for the ⁶⁰Fe activity concentrations are about a factor of 2 higher, for ⁵³Mn, they are ~30% lower, compared to the earlier model, which gives now a better agreement with the experimental data.     

Is feeding behaviour related to glass eel propensity to migrate?

Several studies have shown that eel diadromy is facultative and that migratory divergences may appear during glass eel estuarine migration. The origin of the differences in migratory behaviour among glass eels remains unclear but initial evidence supports the role of individual energetic and thyroidal status. Even if starvation is usually associated with glass eel migration, feeding does seem to occur in some glass eels. The aim of the present study was to investigate feeding behaviour and glass eel growth in relation to the propensity to migrate. Feeding rate and weight gain were higher in fish having a high propensity to migrate (M⁺ fish) than in fish having a low propensity to migrate (M⁻ fish) in fed glass eels, whereas no clear difference in the variation in body weight was observed among unfed fish (controls). M⁻ fish initially had lower percent dry weight than M⁺ fish, which suggests a link between appetite, propensity to migrate, and energy content. We discuss the role played by endocrine signals on these processes. In fish, thyroid hormones contribute to the control of growth and development. In addition, they play a role in flatfish and leptocephalus metamorphosis and appear to be involved in smolt and glass eel migratory behaviour. As such, they represent a good candidate which would promote the propensity to migrate as well as digestive system development. Their role in the hormonal control of food intake however remains vague.     

Cryptic microtextures and geological histories of K-rich alkali feldspars revealed by charge contrast imaging

Charge contrast imaging in the scanning electron microscope can provide new insights into the scale and composition of alkali feldspar microtextures, and such information helps considerably with the interpretation of their geological histories and results of argon isotope thermochronological analyses. The effectiveness of this technique has been illustrated using potassium-rich alkali feldspars from the Dartmoor granite (UK). These feldspars contain strain-controlled lamellar crypto- and microperthites that are cross-cut by strain-free deuteric microperthites. The constituent albite- and orthoclase-rich phases of both microperthite generations can be readily distinguished by atomic number contrast imaging. The charge contrast results additionally show that sub-micrometre-sized albite ‘platelets’ are commonplace between coarser exsolution lamellae and occur together to make cryptoperthites. Furthermore, charge contrast imaging reveals that the orthoclase-rich feldspar is an intergrowth of two phases, one that is featureless with uniform contrast and another that occurs as cross-cutting veins and grains with the {110} adularia habit. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the featureless feldspar is tweed orthoclase, whereas the veins and euhedral grains are composed of irregular microcline that has formed from orthoclase by ‘unzipping’ during deuteric or hydrothermal alteration. The charge contrast imaging results are especially important in demonstrating that deuteric perthites are far more abundant in alkali feldspars than would be concluded from investigations using conventional microscopy techniques. The unexpected presence of such a high volume of replacement products has significant implications for understanding the origins and geological histories of crustal rocks and the use of alkali feldspars in geo- and thermochronology. Whilst the precise properties of feldspars that generate contrast remain unclear, the similarity between charge contrast images and corresponding cathodoluminescence images of deuteric microperthites indicates that trace element chemistry and possibly also elastic strain within the crystal play a major role.     

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.     

Catchment-scale observations at the Niwot Ridge long-term ecological research site

The Niwot Ridge and Green Lakes Valley (NWT) long-term ecological research (LTER) site collects environmental observations spanning both alpine and subalpine regimes. The first observations began in 1952 and have since expanded to nearly 300 available datasets over an area of 99 km² within the north-central Colorado Rocky Mountains that include hydrological (n = 101), biological (n = 79), biogeochemical (n = 62), and geographical (n = 56) observations. The NWT LTER database is well suited to support hydrologic investigations that require long-term and interdisciplinary data sets. Experimentation and data collection at the NWT LTER are designed to characterize ecological responses of high-mountain environments to changes in climate, nutrients, and water availability. In addition to the continuation of the many legacy NWT datasets, expansion of the breadth and utility of the NWT LTER database is driven by new initiatives including (a) a catchment-scale sensor network of soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and snow-depth observations to understand hydrologic connectivity and (b) snow-albedo alteration experiments using black sand to evaluate the effects of snow-disappearance on ecosystems. Together, these observational and experimental datasets provide a substantial foundation for hydrologic studies seeking to understand and predict changes to catchment and local-scale process interactions.     

Water quality and spatio-temporal hot spots in an effluent-dominated urban river

In arid and semi-arid regions, many rivers experience extremely low flow conditions during seasonal dry periods. During these times, effluent from wastewater treatment plants can make up the majority of flow in the river. However, water quality in urban systems can also be strongly influenced by the natural or human-influenced flow regime and discharge from other anthropogenic sources such as industrial operations and runoff from impervious surfaces. In this study, we aimed to determine whether water quality was controlled primarily by wastewater discharge in an effluent-dominated river. Between May 2016–May 2019, we systematically measured water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and the concentrations of nitrate-N, ammonia-N, and orthophosphate in the South Platte River in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado, USA. We found that, despite being an effluent-dominated river, wastewater treatment plant discharge was not the principal factor controlling water quality in many of the sampled areas. Non-point source pollution from impervious surfaces, delivered to the river through storm drains and minor tributary streams, also contributed to the high nutrient conditions in several locations. We also noted a strong seasonality in water quality, with higher concentrations of nutrients and higher biochemical oxygen demand in the winter months when wastewater effluent can make up more than 90% of the flow in the river. Thus, the interaction of discharge location and reduced seasonal flow produced spatio-temporal hot spots of diminished water quality. More stringent enforcement of water quality regulations may improve water quality in this system. However, a large portion of the pollution seems to be from non-point sources, which are very difficult to control.