Factors controlling the vegetation distribution and coal‐forming environments in a strike‐slip basin. The Pennsylvanian Peñarroya‐Belmez‐Espiel Basin,southern Spain

Coal‐forming environments require humid to perhumid conditions. Tectonics governs the size, location and availability of coal seams developed in such environments. While large Pennsylvanian paralic basins generated thick and continuous coal seams, many other small coeval basins, which were tectonically active, developed a puzzling succession, with carbonaceous deposits that varied in size, thickness and the nature of the coal‐forming flora. This study, conducted in the Peñarroya‐Belmez‐Espiel coalfield, a Variscan strike‐slip basin in the south of Spain, provides insights into this subject. The coal seams analysed, generated in different depositional environments, have quantitatively different palynological assemblages. Lacustrine coals are dominated by lycopsids; distal alluvial plain/marginal lacustrine coals are dominated by sphenophytes and tree ferns, and middle alluvial fan coals are dominated by sphenophytes, tree ferns and lycopsids. This means that when conditions were favourable for peat accumulation, peat accumulated regardless of the nature of the available flora.     

West versus East Mediterranean Sea: origin and genetic differentiation of the sea cucumber Holothuria polii

We studied the genetic structure of the sea cucumber Holothuria (Roweothuria) polii (Delle Chiaje 1823) by analysing the mitochondrial DNA variation in two fragments of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 16S genes. Individuals were collected in seven locations along the Mediterranean Sea, which cover a wide range of the species distribution. We found high haplotype diversity for COI and moderate diversity for 16S, and low nucleotide diversity for both genes. Our results for the COI gene showed many recent and exclusive haplotypes with few mutational changes, suggesting recent or ongoing population expansion. The Western and Eastern Mediterranean populations exhibited slight but significant genetic differentiation (COI gene) with higher genetic diversity in the East. The most ancient haplotype was not present in the westernmost sampling location (SE Spain). The oldest expansion time was observed in Turkey, corresponding to mid‐Pleistocene. Turkey had also the highest genetic diversity (number of total and exclusive haplotypes, polymorphisms, haplotype and nucleotide diversity). This suggests that this region could be the origin of the subsequent colonizations through the Mediterranean Sea, a hypothesis that should be assessed with nuclear markers in future research.     

Artificial Marine Micro‐Reserves Networks (AMMRNs): an innovative approach to conserve marine littoral biodiversity and protect endangered species

Coastal engineering works, especially the outer breakwaters of ports where environmental conditions are usually good, often constitute new habitats for marine littoral species. Their potential indirect contribution to the regeneration and conservation of protected species opens up a new perspective in protection of marine biodiversity. This is particularly true when these works harbour, as we show here, important reproductive populations of species that are threatened or even in danger of extinction. We provide integrated data on protected marine species in Southern Iberia established on different substrata (quarried dolomitic rocks, concrete cubic blocks, concrete tetrapods and vertical concrete walls) that are used in the construction of artificial levees that could potentially be Artificial Marine Micro‐Reserves (AMMRs). We also present the first evidence of the ‘reserve effect’ in potential AMMRs and we discuss the need for the creation of AMMRs including their effective networking (AMMRNs), supporting data for which has been observed by studying coastal facilities subjected to strict access restrictions (for security reasons, not conservation). These facilities have acted as valuable proxies and, in reality, potentially act as AMMRs, as well as having a role in helping to detect and control invasive species. We discuss the ecological engineering aspects related to the design and type of materials used in coastal constructions with a view to aiding the integration of these into existing coastal ecosystems as well as promoting greater settlement of species and therefore increases in biodiversity. Finally, the environmental implications of AMMRNs within the future implementation strategy of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60 EC are also discussed.     

Beach morphodynamics forcements in oiled shorelines: Coupled physical and chemical processes during and after fuel burial

In November 2002, the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker off the Galician coast (N.W. Spain) caused the largest ecological catastrophe in the history of Spain, affecting the coast called the 'Costa da Morte' (Galicia, N.W. Spain). This work is focused on the study of the oil contamination of the intertidal area of two beaches located on this stretch of coast. The study of twenty cores extracted from both beaches has identified fuel embedded in the sedimentary column up to a depth of 2.38 m (this being the maximum depth of extraction). This, along with the presence of oil below the groundwater indicates the existence of a new factor which determines the burial of oil: the morphodynamic behaviour of the beach. Furthermore, this morphodynamic variation conditions the physical appearance of the buried oil. Four different types have been identified: tar-balls (cm), particles (mm), oil coatings on sediment grains and on emulsion, with distribution patterns conditioned by the degree of wave exposure. The analysis of the information obtained have permitted the development of a conceptual model of the burial and oil evolution in the sedimentary column in relation to wave exposure, and thus to the morphodynamic variability of the beach.     

The jovian anticyclone BA: I. Motions and interaction with the GRS from observations and non-linear simulations

A study of the dynamics of the second largest anticyclone in Jupiter, Oval BA, and its red colour change that occurred in late 2005 is presented in a three part study. The first part, this paper, deals with its long-term kinematical and dynamical behaviour monitored since its formation in 2000 to September 2008 using ground-based observations archived at the public International Outer Planet Watch (IOPW) database. The vortex changed its zonal drift velocity from 1.8 m s⁻¹ in the period 2000-2002 to 0.8 m s⁻¹ in 2002-2003, and to 2.5 m s⁻¹ since late 2003. It also migrated southwards by 1.0 ± 0.5° in latitude between 2000 and 2004, remaining afterwards at an almost fixed latitude position. During the period 2000-2007, the oval also changed its triangular-like shape to a more symmetrical one. No latitudinal change was found in the months before the development of a red annulus in its interior. The colour change took place in less than 5 months in 2005-2006 and no red colour feature was observed to have been present or entrained by BA months before the annulus development. After detailed examination of the four encounters between BA and GRS that took place during this 9 year period, we did not detect any noticeable change in its drift rate or in apparent structure associated with the encounters at cloud level. Also, the area of BA did not significantly change in this period. Additionally, we found that BA displays a long-term oscillation of ∼160 days in its longitude position with peak to peak amplitude of 1.2°. Numerical experiments using the global circulation model EPIC reproduce accurately the shape, connecting it to its latitude migration, and morphology of the oval and confirm that no strong interaction between BA and the GRS is possible at least in the current situation.     

Water and related chemistry in the solar system. A guaranteed time key programme for Herschel

“Water and related chemistry in the Solar System” is a Herschel Space Observatory Guaranteed-Time Key Programme. This project, approved by the European Space Agency, aims at determining the distribution, the evolution and the origin of water in Mars, the outer planets, Titan, Enceladus and the comets. It addresses the broad topic of water and its isotopologues in planetary and cometary atmospheres. The nature of cometary activity and the thermodynamics of cometary comae will be investigated by studying water excitation in a sample of comets. The D/H ratio, the key parameter for constraining the origin and evolution of Solar System species, will be measured for the first time in a Jupiter-family comet. A comparison with existing and new measurements of D/H in Oort-cloud comets will constrain the composition of pre-solar cometary grains and possibly the dynamics of the protosolar nebula. New measurements of D/H in giant planets, similarly constraining the composition of proto-planetary ices, will be obtained. The D/H and other isotopic ratios, diagnostic of Mars’ atmosphere evolution, will be accurately measured in H₂O and CO. The role of water vapor in Mars’ atmospheric chemistry will be studied by monitoring vertical profiles of H₂O and HDO and by searching for several other species (and CO and H₂O isotopes). A detailed study of the source of water in the upper atmosphere of the Giant Planets and Titan will be performed. By monitoring the water abundance, vertical profile, and input fluxes in the various objects, and when possible with the help of mapping observations, we will discriminate between the possible sources of water in the outer planets (interplanetary dust particles, cometary impacts, and local sources). In addition to these inter-connected objectives, serendipitous searches will enhance our knowledge of the composition of planetary and cometary atmospheres.     

Hydrogeological and mineralogical analysis of the pre‐Romanesque monument of Santa María del Naranco,Asturias, Spain

The church of Santa María del Naranco is an important monument from the pre‐Romanesque period of Asturian art. Here we present research that locates the probable source of travertine used in the construction of a vault within this monument. Since the genesis of this travertine is associated with spring activity, and archival evidence suggests that stone procurement during this period tended to be local, we surveyed existing carbonated aquifers within a 5‐km radius of the monument. We identified a spring (Sopeña) with an associated outcrop of discontinuous travertine that appeared to have been quarried in the past. We conducted X‐ray powder diffraction, electron microprobe, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of samples extracted from the suspected travertine source, an additional more distant travertine quarry for comparison, and the vault. Matching mineralogy and geochemistry indicate that the Sopeña travertine was the probable source of rock material used in the construction of the vault. This study provides insight into local ancient monument construction and can assist in procuring original stone material for historical restoration. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The exceptional Herbig Ae star HD 101412: The first detection of resolved magnetically split lines and the presence of chemical spots in a Herbig star

In our previous search for magnetic fields in Herbig Ae stars, we pointed out that HD 101412 possesses the strongest magnetic field among the Herbig Ae stars and hence is of special interest for follow‐up studies of magnetism among young pre‐main‐sequence stars. We obtained high‐resolution, high signal‐to‐noise UVES and a few lower quality HARPS spectra revealing the presence of resolved magnetically split lines. HD 101412 is the first Herbig Ae star for which the rotational Doppler effect was found to be small in comparison to the magnetic splitting and several spectral lines observed in unpolarized light at high dispersion are resolved into magnetically split components. The measured mean magnetic field modulus varies from 2.5 to 3.5kG, while the mean quadratic field was found to vary in the range of 3.5 to 4.8 kG. To determine the period of variations, we used radial velocity, equivalent width, line width, and line asymmetry measurements of variable spectral lines of several elements, as well as magnetic field measurements. The period determination was done using the Lomb‐Scargle method. The most pronounced variability was detected for spectral lines of He I and the iron peak elements, whereas the spectral lines of CNO elements are only slightly variable. From spectral variations and magnetic field measurements we derived a potential rotation period P_rot = 13.86 d, which has to be proven in future studies with a larger number of observations. It is the first time that the presence of element spots is detected on the surface of a Herbig Ae/Be star. Our previous study of Herbig Ae stars revealed a trend towards stronger magnetic fields for younger Herbig Ae stars, confirmed by statistical tests. This is in contrast to a few other (non‐statistical) studies claiming that magnetic Herbig Ae stars are progenitors of the magnetic Ap stars. New developments in MHD theory show that the measured magnetic field strengths are compatible with a current‐driven instability of toroidal fields generated by differential rotation in the stellar interior. This explanation for magnetic intermediate‐mass stars could be an alternative to a frozen‐in fossil field (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Sedimentary vs. diagenetic control on rhythmic calcareous successions (Pliensbachian of Asturias, Spain)

The diagenetic overprint in rhythmic hemipelagic successions can either enhance or change the original distribution of CaCO₃, but it is difficult to evaluate its effect because in most field examples, it is not possible to distinguish between sedimentary and diagenetic features. The rhythmic succession of the Pliensbachian of Asturias (Spain) shows alternation of bioclastic and laminated/burrowed intervals. The original content of carbonate brought by storms from shallow areas was larger in the bioclastic horizons. However, there is a widespread mismatch between facies alternations and the observed lithological rhythms. The diagenetic redistribution of CaCO₃ resulted in successive limestone–marl/clay couplets that do not match (either in number or in the location of the boundaries) the sedimentary cycles defined by facies alternations. We conclude that interpreting the limestone–marl rhythms as a direct response to primary changes is highly questionable, unless there is unequivocal proof of a sedimentary origin of the alternation of the two lithologies.