Mapping of benthic enrichment patterns in Narragansett Bay,Rhode Island

A synoptic reconnaissance survey was performed over a five-day period in August 1988 to assess benthic habitat quality throughout Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, using REMOTS^® sediment-profile photography and analysis in combination with measurements of the levels ofClostridium perfringens spores (a fecal indicator) in sediments. Three main areas of degraded benthic habitat quality related to either excessive organic enrichment or physical disturbance were identified based solely on the REMOTS^® analysis: the Providence River Reach, Greenwich Bay and its associated coves and harbors, and an area located along the southwest side of Prudence Island. Sediments at many stations in these areas exhibited shallow apparent redox-potential discontinuity (RPD) depths, high apparent oxygen demand, and low-order benthic successional stages. ElevatedClostridium perfringens spore counts in surface sediments were attributed to inputs from wastewater treatment facilities. The highest spore counts occurred at the head of the bay, where wastewater treatment discharges and associated combined sewer overflows are numerous. Using data from the REMOTS^® analysis and the sediment inventory ofC. perfringens spores, a distinction was made between organic enrichment of the bottom from sewage, versus nonsewage enrichment or physical disturbance. The combination of techniques employed in this investigation could be used to design more efficient monitoring programs to assess eutrophication effects in estuaries and determine the effectiveness of regulatory or management initiatives to reduce organic overenrichment of benthic habitats.     

Geochemical processes in the saltwater–freshwater transition zone: comparing results of a sand tank experiment with field data

Geochemical processes, occurring in a stable transition zone between saltwater and freshwater, were simulated in a 2D, multi-layer flow chamber experiment. Mixing, calcite dissolution, and oxidative degradation of organic matter were identified as the main controlling factors. The results of the chamber experiment were compared to field data and verified by thermodynamic modeling. Similarity in most ion distributions suggests the general applicability of the experimental method. Differences in the redox conditions between field and experiment were reflected by the oxidants involved in the mineralization of organic carbon; while field data show evidence of sulfate reduction, the presence of oxygen in the laboratory experiment resulted in the reoxidation of sulfides.     

Gratkorn: A benchmark locality for the continental Sarmatian s.str. of the Central Paratethys

This paper presents one of the richest and most complete vertebrate faunas of the late Middle Miocene (~12 Ma) of Central Europe. Up to now, sixty-two vertebrate taxa, comprising all major groups (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals), have been recorded. Based on sedimentological and palaeobiological evidences, this Fossillagerstätte is assumed to originate from a floodplain paleosol formed on top of a braided river sequence. The fauna points to a highly structured, somewhat vegetated landscape with a wide array of habitats (e.g., fluvial channels, sporadically moist floodplains, short-lived ponds, savannah-like open areas and screes). It was preserved due to a rapid drowning and the switch to a freshwater lake environment. Palaeoclimatological data, derived from pedogenic features as well as from biota, indicate an overall semi-arid, subtropical climate with distinct seasonality (mean annual precipitation 486 ± 252 mm, mean annual temperature ~15°C). This underlines the late Middle/early Late Miocene dry-spell in Central Europe. From taphonomical point of view, the irregularly distributed but roughly associated larger vertebrate remains refer to an in situ accumulation of the bone bed. Splintered bones, gnawing marks as well as rhizoconcretions and root corrosion structures record some pre- and post-burial modification of the taphocoenose. However, the findings of pellet remains argue for a very fast burial and thus to a low degree of time-averaging. For this reason, the fossil fauna reflects the original vertebrate community rather well and is a cornerstone for the understanding of late Middle Miocene terrestrial ecosystems in this region. Certainly, Gratkorn will be one of the key faunas for a high-resolution continental biostratigraphy and the comprehension of Europe’s faunal interchanges near the Middle/Late Miocene transition.     

Anoxic carbon degradation in Arctic sediments: Microbial transformations of complex substrates

Complex substrates are degraded in anoxic sediments by the concerted activities of diverse microbial communities. To explore the effects of substrate complexity on carbon transformations in permanently cold anoxic sediments, four substrates—Spirulina cells, Isochrysis cells, and soluble high molecular weight carbohydrate-rich extracts of these cells (Spir-Ex and Iso-Ex)—were added to sediments collected from Svalbard. The sediments were homogenized, incubated anaerobically in gas-tight bags at 0°C, and enzyme activities, fermentation, and terminal respiration were monitored over a 1134 h time course. All substrate additions yielded a fraction (8%-13%) of carbon that was metabolized to CO₂ over the first 384 h of incubation. The timecourse of VFA (volatile fatty acid) production and consumption, as well as the suite of VFAs produced, was similar for all substrates. After this phase, pathways of carbon degradation diverged, with an additional 43%, 32%, 33%, and 8% of Isochrysis, Iso-Ex, Spirulina, and Spir-Ex carbon respired to CO₂ over the next 750 h of incubation. Somewhat surprisingly, the soluble, carbohydrate-rich extracts did not prove to be more labile substrates than the whole cells from which they were derived. Although Spirulina and Iso-Ex differed in physical and chemical characteristics (solid/soluble, C/N ratio, lipid and carbohydrate content), nearly identical quantities of carbon were respired to CO₂. In contrast, only 15% of Spir-Ex carbon was respired, despite the initial burst of activity that it fueled, its soluble nature, and its relatively high (50%) carbohydrate content. The microbial community in these cold anoxic sediments clearly has the capacity to react rapidly to carbon input; extent and timecourse of remineralization of added carbon is similar to observations made at much higher temperatures in temperate sediments. The extent of carbon remineralization from these specific substrates, however, would not likely have been predicted on the basis of general substrate characteristics.     

Recruitment of juvenile marine fishes to seagrass habitat in a temperature Australian estuary

We investigated the relationship between distance from the ocean and the recruitment of ocean-spawned juvenile fish to seagrass shallows within marine dominated Lake Macquarie, a coastal barrier lagoon in Southeast Australia. Samples were taken by seine net every 6 wk between June 1986 and June 1987, at 20 sites established at various distances from the entrance channel. The fish fauna was diverse: 80 species from 39 families were caught, with the Gobiidae, Monacanthidae, Syngnathidae, Tetraodontidae, Mugilidae, Atherinidae, Clupeidae, Mullidae, Sparidae, and Blenniidae being well represented. Ambassis jacksoniensis, Atherinomorus ogilbyi, and Gerres subfasciatus accounted for 46% of all individuals. Thirty-two species were classified as ocean spawners, 38 as lagoon spawners, and 10 as unknown in terms of spawning area. Newly settled juveniles of ocean spawners were concentrated near the lagoon's entrance, where most recruited in spring. This pattern occurred in the absence of a salinity gradient: distance from the ocean coupled with weak internal water circulation appears to limit larval distribution and hence juvenile recruitment. Small juveniles of Rhabdosargus sarba were sufficiently abundant for their subsequent dispersal to be directly traced. On the basis of results for this species, and indirect evidence of dispersal for several others, it is suggested that ocean-spawned juveniles, after settling near the entrance, gradually disperse as they grow and change their habitat. Thus, further from the entrance, their recruitment to seagrass shallows is later, at larger sizes, and in smaller numbers. Newly settled juveniles of lagoon spawners, however, were widely distributed within the lagoon. The optimal recruitment of ocean-spawned juveniles to similar coastal lagoons may depend on suitable habitat being available near the entrance. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY081 00003     

Micro- and nano-textural evidence of Ti(–Ca–Fe) mobility during fluid–rock interactions in carbonaceous lawsonite-bearing rocks from New Zealand

Understanding the mobility of chemical elements during fluid–rock interactions is critical to assess the geochemical evolution of a rock undergoing burial and metamorphism and, more generally, to constrain the geochemical budget of the subduction factory. In particular, determining the behavior and mobility of Ti in aqueous fluids constitutes a great challenge that is still under scrutiny. Here, we study plant fossils preserved in blueschist metasedimentary rocks from the Marybank Formation (New Zealand). Using scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM), we show that the carbonaceous material (CM) composing the fossils contains abundant nano-inclusions of Ti- and Fe-oxides. These nanocrystals are mainly anatase, rutile, and Fe–Ti oxides. The mineral composition observed within the fossils is significantly different from that detected in the surrounding rock matrix. We propose that Ti and Fe might have been mobilized by the alteration of a detrital Ti–Fe-rich protolith during an early diagenetic event under acidic and reducing conditions. Aqueous fluids rich in organic ligands released by the degradation of organic matter may have been involved. Moreover, using mass balance and petrological observations, we show that the contrasted mineralogy between the rock matrix and the fossil CM might be the consequence of the chemical isolation of fossil CM during the prograde path of the rock. Such an isolation results from the early formation of quartz and Fe-rich phyllosilicate layers enclosing the fossil as characterized by SEM and TEM investigations. Overall, this study shows that investigating minerals associated with CM down to the nanometer scale in metamorphic rocks can provide a precious record of early prograde geochemical conditions.     

Isotopic evidence on the origin of the Shamrocke copper mine,Rhodesia

The Shamrocke ore body is a stratiform deposit of disseminated copper-iron sulphides found within lenses of calcareous meta-arkose occurring in Lomagundi Group graphitic schist (Late Precambrian) at Karoi, Rhodesia. Both sulphides and sediments were subjected to high grades of regional metamorphism. Argon/argon isochron ages indicate a major metamorphic event at 550 m. y. (Damaran orogeny) with later minor argon losses. Ore sulphide ³⁴S values range from +3.0 to +14.8 CDT and a general decrease from footwall to hanging-wall reflects an original sedimentary environment where sulphides formed about the sea bed from hydrothermal fluids progressively mixing with sea water. Isotopically lighter sulphides formed syngenetically in the host rocks from bacterial reduction of sulphate. The pyrrhotite was probably formed from pyrite during metamorphism, and owing to reducing conditions maintained similar ³⁴S values to the original pyrite. Oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses of mineralised and unmineralised carbonate lenses are consistent with deposition as marine limestones in an evaporitic environment and/or near hot spring vents.I. N. S. Contribution No 734