Does freshening of surface water enhance heterotrophic prokaryote production in the western Arctic? Empirical evidence from the Canada Basin during September 2009

This study examined possible environmental factors that affect prokaryote variables in surface waters (upper 100 m of water column) in the Canada Basin, western Arctic Ocean. We collected data on prokaryote abundance and heterotrophic production ([³H]leucine incorporation) at eight stations deployed along a slope-to-offshore transect during September 2009. Prokaryote production and growth tended to increase with increasing chlorophyll a (Chl. a) and temperature and with decreasing salinity. The combination of Chl. a, temperature, and salinity accounted for a large fraction (74%) of the variability in prokaryote production, with the highest contribution made by Chl. a (r ² = 0.56), followed by salinity (r ² = 0.14) and temperature (r ² = 0.03). Similarly, the variability in prokaryote growth rate was largely accounted for by the combination of the three environmental variables (overall r ² of 0.64), with Chl. a making the largest contribution to variability (r ² = 0.33), followed by salinity (r ² = 0.27) and temperature (r ² = 0.05). These data are consistent with the notion that organic matter supply associated with freshwater inputs to surface layers can result in enhanced prokaryote production and growth in the Canada Basin. Our results provide insights into the regulation of the microbial loop in the Canada Basin where freshening has been proceeding rapidly due to increasing river discharge and sea-ice melting.     

A relic coral fauna threatened by global changes and human activities, Eastern Brazil

Coral species composition of drilled cores from emergent bank reefs, and coral cover of the surface of old and living reefs located along the coast of the state of Bahia, Eastern Brazil, revealed that there is a marked change in the occurrence of the major building coral species in different time intervals of the reef structure, as well as in the living surface of reefs located in two different geographical sites. Holocene core sections from two reef areas (12 degrees 40'S-38 degrees 00'W and 18 degrees 00'S-39 degrees 00'W) have as major reef builders, on its topmost core interval (3 to 4 ky old), the endemic coral Mussismilia braziliensis Verrill, 1868, which also dominate on the 2.5-3.5 ky old surfaces of truncated reef tops. At the base of the cores (the 2m lower interval, older than 4 ky BP), another endemic coral Mussismilia harttii Verrill, 1868 is the dominant reef component. The relative abundance of M. braziliensis on the living surfaces of shallow reefs from both areas, shows that in the southern area, it is up to 98% on reefs located 60 km off the coast, in depths between 3 and 4m, but do not exceed 1.3% on the surface of the northern reefs located 1-2 km off the coast in depths 4-5m. The Holocene falling sea level that occurred along the coast of Brazil since 5.1 ky BP, causes an increasing runoff into the area of coastal reefs. This phenomenon may have affected the nearshore reef building fauna, replacing a more susceptive coral fauna with one better adapted to low light levels and higher sediment influx. The high turbidity associated with early Holocene shelf flooding, should also be responsible for the absence of M. braziliensis during the initial stages of reef buildup in Brazil. At the present time, the rapidly increasing human pressure, due to changes in land uses of the coastal zone (increasing sedimentation rate, nutrification of coastal waters, industrial pollution) and underwater practices, such as overfishing and an intense tourism, is aggravating the recovery capacity of this already naturally threatened coral community. If this situation coupled with increasing sea surface temperature persists, modern coral reef growth, in Brazil cannot be maintained and the major reef building coral species of the reefs in Bahia, a remnant endemic coral fauna will very soon appear in the list of endangered species.     

High-resolution beamforming by the Wigner-Ville distribution method

The Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) function was originally proposed by Wigner in quantum mechanics and Ville applied it for signal analysis. This method has made it possible to represent a signal's power density spectrum in the time-frequency domain as a natural extension of the Fourier transform method (FTM). Recently, it has attracted great interest for its validity to analyze time-varying signals accomplished by the development of high-speed digital signal processing, and it is used for analyzing nonstationary signals. Conventionally, a sonar beamformer is constructed using delay lines, but the development of the high-speed processor has made it possible to apply the FTM for sonar beamforming. However, the bearing resolution of the beamformer is not enough for discriminating small underwater objects on the sea bottom by this method. To solve this problem, we aim to apply the WVD method, which can represent finer structure of signals as a natural extension of the FTM, for sonar beamforming to obtain sharper beam patterns than those of the beamforming method by FTM. Simulation results by computational calculations to clarify the resolution by the WVD method, which is presented in this paper, becomes approximately twice as high as by conventional FTM. The results of an experiment at sea also show the performance of this method     

Seepage flow problems by variational inequalities: Theory and approximation

The theory of variational inequalities enables us to formulate and solve free boundary problems in fixed domains, while most other methods assume the position of the unknown domain in solving the problem. Here the problem of seepage flow through a rectangular dam with a free boundary is formulated as a vertical inequality following the ideas of Baiocchi. In order to demonstrate the essential ideas of extending the domain of the solution of problems with free boundaries, the problem of the deflection, of a string on a rigid support is first examined. Next, variational inequalities are derived which are associated with several cases of seepage problems. An approximation theory, including a priori error estimates, is developed using finite element methods, and an associated numerical scheme is given. It is shown that for linear and quadratic finite element methods, the rates of convergence are 0(h) and 0(h^1.25-δ), 0 < δ < 0.25, respectively, if the permeability is constant.     

Stable isotope characterization of fluids from the Lake Chany complex,western Siberia,Russian Federation

The Lake Chany complex and nearby lakes in western Siberia (Russian Federation) were studied to constrain the S cycle in these terrestrial lake environments. Surface water chemistry was characterized by Na–SO₄–Cl composition, comparable to other inland basins in semi-arid climatic zones associated with marine evaporite-bearing formations at depth. Dissolved sulfates showed elevated δ³⁴S (up to +32.3‰). These values are quite distinct from those in similar saline lakes in northern Kazakhstan, the Aral Sea, Lake Barhashi, and a gypsum deposit in the Altai Mountains. The localized distribution of such a unique S isotopic signature in dissolved SO₄ negates both aeolian and catastrophic flooding hypotheses previously suggested for the genesis of the dissolved salts. The probable source of the dissolved SO₄ in Lake Chany basin is inherited from hidden saline groundwaters (whose location and origins remain unclear) from eastern Paleozoic ranges with Upper Devonian formations with heavy S isotope values. Post-depositional enrichment of heavy S in the dissolved SO₄ from saline sediments may be caused by local activity of SO₄-reducing bacteria under the ambient supply of electron donors (dissolved river load organic matter and decaying bacterial mats) in the lake complex. Such microbial processes can remove up to ca. 60% of SO₄ from the system. Extensive and intensive evaporation of lake fluids, ca. 40%, was indicated by the progressive enrichment of δ¹⁸O values in meteoric water samples collected along the river and lake system. This evaporation process compensates the microbial loss of SO₄ dissolved in the incoming river water.     

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.10.001

The Francevillian Group in Gabonese Republic was recently established as a typical sedimentary sequence for the Paleoproterozoic.However,its age is rather poorly constrained,mainly based on Rb-Sr and Nd-Sm datings.This study reports new zircon data obtained from Chaillu massif and N'goutou complex,which constrain the protolith age of the basement orthogneisses and the igneous age of an intrusive granite,respectively.Most zircons from the orthogneisses are blue and exhibit oscillatory zoning in cathode-luminescence images.Zircons with lower common lead abundances tend to be distributed close to the concordia curve.Two age clusters around 2860 Ma and 2910 Ma are found in zircons plotted on the concordia curve.Based on the Th/U ratios of zircons,these ages correspond to the protolith ages of the orthogneisses,and the zircons are not metamorphic in origin.Syenites and granites were collected from the N'goutou complex that intrudes into the FA and FB units of the Francevillian Group.The granitoids exhibit chemical composition of A-type granite affinity.Half of zircons separated from the granite are non-luminous,and the remaining half exhibit obscure internal textures under cathode-luminescence observation.All zircon grains contain significant amounts of common lead;the lead isotopic variability is probably attributed to the mixing of two components in the zircons.The zircon radiogenic ~(207)Pb/~(206)Pb ratio is 0.13707 ± 0.0010.corresponding to a ~(207)Pb/~(206)Pb age of 2191 ± 13 Ma.This constrains the minimum depositional age of the FA and FB units.Furthermore,the FB unit consists of manganese-rich carbonate rocks and organic carbon-rich black shales with macroscopic fossils.Based on our age constraints,these organisms appeared in the study area just after the last Paleoproterozoic Snowball Earth event,in concert with global scale oxidation event encompassing the Snowball Earth.     

SHRIMP in situ isotopic analyses of REE,Pb and U in micro-minerals bearing fission products in the Oklo and Bangombé natural reactors: A review of a natural analogue study for the migration of fission products

In the Precambrian, parts of the Oklo, Okélobondo and Bangombé uranium deposits of the Republic of Gabon, central Africa, functioned as natural fission reactors. Many elements in the Oklo and Bangombé uranium deposits show variations in isotopic composition caused by a combination of nuclear fission, neutron capture and radioactive decay. Isotopic studies provide useful information to understand the behavior of radionuclides in geological media. In our recent work, in situ REE, Pb and U isotopic analyses of individual tiny minerals in and around reactor zones have been performed using a SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe). The isotopic results of the SHRIMP analyses on micro-minerals found in and around the Oklo and Bangombé natural reactors are reviewed in this paper. The data suggest the selective uptake behavior of (1) Ra into illite, and (2) Pu into apatite, (3) the formation process of secondary minerals bearing fissiogenic REE and depleted U, (4) evidence of nuggets (?-particles) bearing fissiogenic platinum group elements (PGE), and (5) from the U–Pb systematics of highly altered zircons, the redistribution of U and Pb.     

Structural evolutions of an obsidian and its fused glass by shock-wave compression

Shock-recovery experiments for obsidian and its fused glass have been carried out with pressure up to 35 GPa. Structural evolution accompanying the shock compression was investigated using X-ray diffraction technique, Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The densities of obsidian and its fused glass increased with applied shock pressure up to 25 GPa. Densification reached a maximum of 4.7 and 3.6% for obsidian and its fused glass, respectively. The densification mechanism is attributed to reduction of the T–O–T angle, and changes in ring statistics in the structure. Density reduction observed at greater than 25 GPa of applied shock pressure is due to partial annealing of the high-density glass structures brought by high post-shock residual temperature. The density of fused glass is almost equal to its original value at 35 GPa while the shocked obsidian has a slightly lower value than its original value. Amorphization of crystallites present in the obsidian due to shock compression is probably the cause of the density decrease. The structural evolution observed in shock-compressed obsidian and its fused glass can be explained by densification resulting from average T–O–T angle reduction and increase of small rings, and subsequent structural relaxation by high post-shock temperature at applied shock compression above 25 GPa.     

Database of Comet Polarimetry: Analysis and Some Results

We present the electronic database (EAR-C-COMPIL-5-DB-COMET-POLARIMETRY-V1.0, NASA Planetary Data System) involving published and some unpublished results of cometary polarimetry. The database contains more than 2600 measurements of linear and circular polarization for 64 comets since 1940s. The narrow-band and wide-band measurements within the spectral region 0.3–2.2 micron are presented. The ranges of phase angles, helio- and geocentric distances of comets are 0.4–122°, 0.6–4.8 AU, 0.03–4.9 AU, respectively. We have comprised more than 60 references to the published papers and unpublished sources. The data we included are presented in a tabular format in the ASCII codes. The database can be used as the observational basis for detailed theoretical modeling, interpretation of the phase-angle and spectral dependence of polarization, classification of comets, laboratory simulating, and for selecting future space-mission targets. Analysis of the available data allowed us to summarize some observed characteristics of linearly and circularly polarized light and their phase-angle, heliocentric, spectral, and spatial dependencies.     

An X-ray diffraction study of shock-wave-densified SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> glasses

 The densification and structural changes in SiO₂ glass compressed up to 43.4 GPa by shock experiments are investigated quantitatively by the X-ray diffraction technique. Direct structural data (average Si–O and Si–Si distances and Si–O–Si angles, coordination number of the Si atom) of these shock-densified SiO₂ glasses have been obtained by analyzing the radial distribution function curves, RDF(r), calculated with X-ray diffraction data. The coordination number of all densified glasses is about 4 and shows almost no pressure variation. The SiO₂ glass has shown density increase of 11% at a shock compression of 26.3 GPa. This density evolution could not be explained by the coordination change. The reduction of the average Si–O–Si angle (144° at 0 GPa to 136° at 26.3 GPa) obtained from RDF(r) data may account for this density increase. This Si–O–Si angle change may be caused by shrinkage of the network structure and the increase of small rings of SiO₄ tetrahedra. For higher shock pressure, a decrease in the Si–O–Si angle to 140° was observed. This is consistent with the decrease in density at 32.0 and 43.2 GPa. This decrease in the Si–O–Si angle and density could be attributed to an annealing effect due to high after-shock residual temperature. This pressure dependence of average Si–O–Si angles in shock-densified SiO₂ glass agrees with the results of our previous Raman spectroscopic study. On the other hand, the pressure variation for the first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) was analyzed to estimate the evolution of intermediate range structures. It is suggested that the mean d value (d _m ) obtained from the position of FSDP strongly depends on the shock and residual temperature, as well as shock pressure. Received: 29 June 2001 / Accepted: 14 November 2001