Galveston Bay: Temporal changes in the concentrations of trace organic contaminants in national status and trends oysters (1986–1994)

The temporal distributions for six classes of trace organic contaminants (chlordanes, DDTs, dieldrin, PAHs, PCBs, and butyltins) in oysters from six Galveston Bay sites from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Status and Trends (NS&T) Mussel Watch Program are compared with other NS&T sites from the Gulf of Mexico as well as all NS&T sites of the United States (East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf of Mexico). Decreases in the median for the Gulf-wide concentration of chlordanes, dieldrin, and butyltins occurred during 1986–1994. The Gulfwide median concentrations of DDTs, PAHs, and PCBs exhibited a strong cyclic distribution with time. For Galveston Bay oysters, “high” concentration is defined as the concentration greater than the median plus one standard deviation for all Gulf of Mexico sites. The percentage of sites having high concentrations during 1986–1994 for Galveston Bay oysters are 49% for dieldrin, 45% for butyltins, 40% for chlordanes, 38% for PCBs, 30% for PAHs, and 21% for DDTs. For PCBs, 43% of Galveston Bay oyster samples analyzed over the first 9 yr have concentrations high enough for potential biological effects to be observed in oysters. The percentages in other agents were chlordanes (22%), butyltins (22%), dieldrin (5%), and PAHs (4%). National Academy of Science-proposed regulatory limits for oysters were exceeded in only 2% of Galveston Bay samples for DDTs and 1% for PCBs. All other contaminants were below proposed NAS limits.     

Preliminary studies on methane fluxes in Hainan mangrove communities

INTRODUCTIONChrbondioxideandInehanearethetwomostabundantabosphericcarbonspedes.Methane'sconcenhati0nintheboposphereinonsesO.7-l.l%peryearraasmussenandKhaili,l98l,BlakeandRowand,l988,Scheeetal.,l989).Ihauseofmethne'sforpaCtontheearth'sclirnateandthechernistryoftheatInosphere,thebudgetofabosphericmethanehasmivedconsiderableattchti0n.Wetlandsareestirnataltobeoneofthelamptsoimofabosphericmethane,aocountingforab0ut4O%to5O%0ftheglobalInehanesoonannually(Cforneand0reInland,l988,WhitingandC…     

Vegetation analysis of a typical mangrove swamp—Lai Chi Wo coast of Hong Kong

A vegetation analysis reveals that the Lai Chi Wo mangrove swamp in Hong Kong has 10 mangrove species comprising 76.9% of the total number of mangrove species in Hong Kong. This swamp is a mixed community dominated byAegiceras corniculatum, Heritiera littoralis, Excoecaria agallocha, Kandelia candel, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, with importance values of 37.88, 28.19, 14.33, 11.33 and 8.27 respectively. The community’s mangrove species diversity and evenness, as based on the Shannon-Wiener Function, were 1.44 and 62.01%, which were lower than those of the south su-tropical evergreen broad-leaf forest community but its ecological dominance (0.26) was higher. The correlation information field (CIF) method, a useful analytical method for complex forest community, was adopted in the present mangrove analysis. The species correlation information was:Aegiceras corniculatum (0.268)>Heritiera littoralis (0.250)>Kandelia candel (0.220)>Excoecaria agallocha (0.169)>Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (0.101). The correlation information of the mangrove community was 1.008. This work was financially supported by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department of The Hong Kong Government and The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.     

Sediment accumulation at a fringe marsh during transgression,Oyster, Virginia

A variety of processes and sources account for the total accumulation of sediment on a fringe marsh. The rates of accretion across Brockenberry fringe marsh at the south end of the Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, were determined by Pb-210 radiogeochronology. Rates are governed by the surface elevation with respect to midtide elevation, the rate of sea-level rise, and outwash from the mainland. Only some portions of the fringe marsh are able to keep pace with sea-level rise and thus migrate up the mainland slope during transgression.     

Development of shear localization in simulated quartz gouge: Effect of cumulative slip and gouge particle size

Frictional sliding experiments were conducted on two types of simulated quartz gouge (with median particle diameters 5 m and 25 m, respectively) at confining pressures ranging from 50 MPa to 190 MPa in a conventional triaxial configuration. To investigate the operative micromechanical processes, deformation texture developed in the gouge layer was studied in samples which had accumulated different amounts of frictional slip and undergone different stability modes of sliding. The spatial patterning of shear localization was characterized by a quantitative measurement of the shear band density and orientation. Shear localization in the ultrafine quartz gouge initiated very early before the onset of frictional sliding. Various modes of shear localization were evident, but within the gouge zoneR ₁-shears were predominant. The density of shear localization increased with cumulative slip, whereas the angle subtended at the rock-gouge interface decreased. Destabilization of the sliding behavior in the ultrafine quartz gouge corresponded to the extension ofR ₁-shears and formation of boundaryY-shear segments, whereas stabilization with cumulative slip was related to the coalescence ofY-shear segments to form a throughgoing boundary shear. In the coarse quartz gouge, the sliding behavior was relatively stable, probably because shear localization was inhibited by distributed comminution. Two different models were formulated to analyze the stress field within the gouge zone, with fundamentally different predictions on the orientations of the principal stresses. If the rock-gouge interface is assumed to be bonded without any displacement discontinuity, then the maximum principal stress in the gouge zone is predicted to subtend an angle greater than 45° at the interface. If no assumption on displacement or strain continuity is made and if the gouge has yielded as a Coulomb material, then the maximum principal stress in the gouge zone is predicted to subtend an angle less than 45°. If the apparent friction coefficient increases with overall slip (i.e., slip-hardening), then the Riedel shear angle progressively decreases with increasing shear strain within the gouge layer, possibly attaining a zero value which corresponds to a boundaryY-shear. Our quantitative data on shear localization orientation are in reasonable agreement with this second model, which implies the coefficient of internal friction to be about 0.75 for the ultrafine quartz gouge and 0.8 for the coarse gouge. The wide range of orientations for Riedel shear localization observed in natural faults suggests that the orientations of principal stresses vary as much as in an experimental gouge zone.     

Effects of reaction kinetics and fluid drainage on the development of pore pressure excess in a dehydrating system

Fluid is released by dehydration reactions during prograde metamorphism. If the Claperyron slope for the dehydrating reaction is positive, then there is a net decrease in the total solid volume, which implies an irreversible increase in porosity. If the dilation of the pore space is insufficient to provide storage for all the released fluid, then pore pressure excess is generated, and if it becomes sufficiently high, it may lead to brittle fracturing. The time scale for pressure generation and the pore pressure excess can be maintained over long duration hinge on the interplay of reaction kinetics and fluid drainage. Motivated by experimental and microstructural observations, a hydrological model is developed that incorporates dehydration kinetics and its pressure dependence. Analytic solutions were derived for the undrained development of pore pressure. Whether lithostatic pressure may be exceeded hinges on magnitude of the overstep in temperature and corresponding equilibrium pressure. The time scale for development of pore pressure depends on the trade-off between poroelasticity and the pressure sensitivity of reaction rate. A finite difference model was also developed to simulate the progressive development of pore pressure excess, dehydration and porosity development. The model captures the experimental observation in gypsum of a reaction front that progressively propagates from the drained end toward the undrained end of a laboratory sample. It is also in reasonable agreement with experimental data on fluid drainage and porosity production.     

Theoretical assessment of changes in design flood peak of an overland plane for two opposing urbanization sequences

By considering urbanization on an overland plane as a process whereby a relatively rough, permeable surface is gradually replaced by a relatively smooth, less permeable surface, the effect of urbanization sequence on the flood peak is theoretically assessed by the kinematic wave method. In the assessment, two opposing urbanization sequences are considered: one from downstream to upstream, and the other from upstream to downstream. The assessment is carried out in terms of the individual effect as well as the combined effect of the Manning resistance coefficient and the runoff coefficient. For both urbanization sequences and for all degrees of urbanization, the assessment shows that surface conversion from rough to smooth, or from permeable to less permeable causes the flood peak to increase. A comparison of the individual effects shows that for equal reductions in surface roughness and permeability, the reduction in permeability causes greater increases in the flood peak compared with the reduction in surface roughness. For a partially urbanized plane and for the same degree of urbanization, due to the partial area effect, urbanization at the downstream end generally causes greater increases in the flood peak. In terms of urbanization sequence, the downstream to upstream urbanization sequence generally causes greater increases in the flood peak. The effect of urbanization sequence on the flood peak, however, is only significant for the larger reductions in surface roughness and permeability. Finally, a comparison of the results of this study with those obtained from drainage basins shows that for most of the results from the basins, they correspond to those for the small reductions in surface roughness and permeability on an overland plane. For these cases, the effect of urbanization sequence on the flood peak is small. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南海颗粒有机碳通量的垂向变化及早期降解作用的标志物

南海不同水层的颗粒有机碳通量与表层沉积物有机碳积累率的对比 ,以及氨基酸、氨基糖、糖类物质的组成变化表明 ,南海水柱中的颗粒有机碳主要来源于近期生长的海洋浮游生物 ,仅有 1.4%～ 1.6 %初级生产力产生的有机碳进入深海水柱 ,而在深海盆地沉积物中积累的有机碳仅占初级生产力的 0 .2 2 %以下 .颗粒有机物通量与组成改变主要发生在表层数百米以及底层海水与沉积物界面之间 ,而在中下水层变化较小 . (TAA+TSUG)OC ,AA/AS ,Gluam/Galam ,Arom .AA/Non Prot.AA ,ASP/b ALA ,GLU/g ABA等指标在颗粒物沉积过程中逐渐减少 ,指示了有机物质的早期降解作用