Temperature dependence of CO2 fugacity in seawater

Ideally, the correction of the measured CO₂ fugacity (fCO₂) at temperature T_m to fCO₂ at the in-situ temperature T_in should be made by using at least 2 known parameters (pH-A_T, C_T-A_T,…) and the reliable constants for carbonic acid. In practice however, a measured CO₂ property pair is not always available. When fCO₂ is measured alone, one must make an estimate of the effect of temperature on seawater fCO₂ from the accurate knowledge of seawater salinity and temperature and the approximate knowledge of the carbonate parameters. In this paper we present an empirical relationship that can be used to estimate the effect of temperature on fCO₂. The equation is of the form:

ƒCO_2[t] − ƒCO_2[20]=A + Bt + Ct² + Dt³ + Et⁴

where fCO_2[t] and fCO_2[20] represent fCO₂ at temperatures t°C and 20°C, respectively; the parameters A, B, etc. are functions of the ratio X = C_T/A_T:

E = e₀ + e₁X + e₂X²ln(X) + e₃exp(X) + e₄/ln(X)

where the parameters a_i, b_i, etc. are functions of salinity.The 25-parameter equation is fitted by the values of fCO₂ calculated using the constants of Goyet and Poisson (1989), when X varies from 0.8 to 1.0, t varies from −1dgC to 40°C, and S varies from 30 to 40. For T_m - T_in within ± 10°C, direct measurements of fCO₂ as a function of the temperature (from −I to 30°C verify this equation within less than ±5 μatm.     

Low-temperature incubation of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) eggs from the southeast Bering Sea shelf and Shelikof Strait, Gulf of Alaska

To determine the effect of low water temperature on development, walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) eggs from the Bering Sea were reared at −0.6°C, 0.4°C, 2.0°C, and 3.8°C. One group of eggs was reared at 3.9°C under a diel light cycle (14 h light, 10 h dark) to observe the effect of light on development and hatching. Development was normal for all temperatures except −0.6°C; abnormal development of the tail and lack of development of eyes occurred in some embryos. Time to 50% hatch was 820, 620, and 424 h at 0.4°C, 2.0°C, and 3.8°C. Eggs incubated in diel light at 3.9°C developed at the same rate as eggs incubated in constant dark at 3.8°C, but required an additional 72 h to reach 50% hatch. A piece-wise regression model was generated to predict egg age for incubation temperatures of −0.6°C to 3.8°C. For temperatures recorded in the southeastern Bering Sea 1995–1998, the model predicted incubation periods for walleye pollock eggs that varied by 13 days between the warmest and coldest years.Walleye pollock eggs from Shelikof Strait, Alaska, were incubated at 0.2°C, 1.8°C, and 2.8°C. Development was normal for all temperatures. A piece-wise regression model (as above) was generated for incubation temperatures 0.2–2.8°C. When the regression models were compared, Bering Sea eggs (1.4–1.7 mm in diameter), required more time for development prior to hatch than Shelikof Strait eggs (1.2–1.3 mm in diameter) at 1.8°C and 2.8°C. However, for temperatures 0.2–2.0°C, Bering Sea walleye pollock began hatching earlier and at a developmentally younger age than Shelikof Strait walleye pollock.     

Soil moisture response to white ash mortality following emerald ash borer invasion

Emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire), an invasive forest insect first identified in southeastern Michigan in 2002, is established in at least 32 US states and three Canadian provinces. Ash (Fraxinus spp.) mortality rates in some forested areas exceed 90%, but to date, little is known about the potential effects of EAB-caused ash mortality on hydrological processes. More broadly, there is a need for information on the timing and magnitude of soil moisture response to species-specific mortality of overstory vegetation in deciduous forest systems. Soil moisture was examined in 28 forested sites where 0–100% of the white ash basal area (Fraxinus americana L.) was killed by EAB. Synoptic measurements of near-surface (0–6 cm depth) soil moisture were collected from 112 plots (18 m radius) within the sites. Three plots were also instrumented with soil moisture sensors at 10 and 25 cm depth to log hourly measurements from May to October. Synoptic data showing white ash mortality and soil moisture were positively correlated in the 34 plots with ≥?5% mortality (by total basal area). In the intensively monitored plots, volumetric soil moisture declined from 37 to 16% between July and September where white ash mortality was low (0.6% of basal area killed), but remained near field capacity (~?30%) throughout the monitoring period in the high mortality plot (8.6% of basal area killed), meriting further investigation to assess effects of white ash mortality on evapotranspiration and soil moisture dynamics in heterogeneous upland forests. Altered soil moisture may have implications for regrowth dynamics, infiltration/runoff partitioning, and nutrient cycling, but additional study to quantify the extent and duration of EAB-related ash mortality on hydrology at the plot and watershed scale is necessary.     

Local variability in the timing and intensity of tropical dry forest deciduousness is explained by differences in forest stand age

Tropical Dry Forest deciduousness is a behavioral response to climate conditions that determines ecosystem-level carbon uptake, energy flux, and habitat conditions. It is regulated by factors related to stand age, and landscape scale variability in deciduous phenology may affect ecosystem functioning in forests throughout the tropics. This study determines whether observed phenological differences are explainable by forest age in the southern Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, where forest clearing for shifting cultivation has created a mosaic of forest stands of varying age. Matched-pair statistical tests compare neighboring forest pixels of different age class (12–22 years versus 22+ years) and detect significant differences in Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)-derived metrics related to the timing and intensity of deciduousness during three dry seasons (2008–2011). In all seasons, young forests exhibit significantly more intense deciduousness, measured as total seasonal change of EVI normalized by annual maximum EVI (p < 0.001), and larger normalized EVI change during successive dry season months relative to start-of-dry-season EVI (p < 0.001), than neighboring older forests subject to similar environmental conditions.     

Earthquake readiness in volatile regions: the case of Israel

Natural Hazards - The Jordan Rift Valley is a high-risk low-occurrence zone for earthquakes, with documented incidences within the last millennium causing widespread destruction. This research...     

Experimental soft‐sediment deformation caused by fluidization and intrusive ice melt in sand

Identifying the driving mechanisms of soft‐sediment deformation in the geological record is the subject of debate. Thawing of ice‐rich clayey silt above permafrost was proved experimentally to be among the processes capable of triggering deformation. However, previous work has failed so far to reproduce similar structures in sand. This study investigates fluidization and intrusive ice formation from soil models in the laboratory. Experimental conditions reproduce the growth of ice‐cored mounds caused by pore water pressure increase during freeze‐back of sand in a permafrost context. Excess pore water pressure causes hydraulic fracturing and the development of water lenses beneath the freezing front. Later freezing of the water lenses generates intrusive ice. The main structures consist of sand dykes and sills formed when the increase in pore water pressure exceeds a critical threshold, and soft‐sediment deformations induced by subsidence during ice melt. The combination of processes has resulted in diapir‐like structures. The experimental structures are similar to those described in Pleistocene sites from France. These processes constitute a credible alternative to the seismic hypothesis evoked to explain soft‐sediment deformation structures in other European regions subjected to Pleistocene cold climates.     

The final fifth: autobiography, reflexivity and interpretation in cross-cultural research

Summary This paper addresses concerns about the complexities of cross-cultural field- work, and the importance of the positionality of researchers and translators in the research process. These concerns build upon debates within the social sciences about autobiography, reflexivity and the research process, as well as notions of validity, reliability and 'truth'. The paper re-examines these debates in the context of cross-cultural research by focusing on praxis—actual experiences in the field.     

Multiport Sock Samplers: A Low-Cost Technology for Effective Multilevel Ground Water Sampling

The importance of obtaining depth-specific ground water samples is now well recognized among practitioners and scientists alike. Many methods and technologies are available for level discrete or depth-specific ground water sampling in consolidated aquifers. All methods have their associated advantages and drawbacks, however. One common disadvantage is that they are expensive. A large number of point discrete ground water samples were required for a UK research project aimed at quantifying natural attenuation processes in ground water contaminated by a former coal carbonization plant. Based on experience from a previous project to develop novel level accurate sampling methodologies for use in existing boreholes, the Ground Water Protection and Restoration Research Unit (GWPRRU) produced and tested a low-cost design multiport sock sampler for ground water monitoring. The sock sampler design allowed the recovery of multiple depth-specific ground water samples from depths of 150 feel (45 m) from individual boreholes in the sandstone aquifer at the field site. Because of their use of inexpensive materials, simple design, installation and use that does not require gravel packs, packers, or grouting, sock samplers were found to be the most cost effective, convenient, and reliable method of obtaining multiple depth-specific ground water samples at the project field site.     

Pre-eruptive physical conditions of El Reventador volcano (Ecuador) inferred from the petrology of the 2002 and 2004–05 eruptions

A petrological study of the eruptive products of El Reventador allowed us to infer the magmatic processes related to the 2002 and 2004–05 eruptions of this andesitic stratovolcano. On November 3, 2002, El Reventador experienced a highly explosive event, which was followed by emplacement of two lava flows in November–December 2002. Silica contents range from 62 to 58 wt.% SiO₂ for the November 3 pyroclastic deposits to 58–56 and 54–53 wt.% SiO₂ for the successive lava flows. In November 2004 eruptive activity resumed supplying four new lava flows (56–54 wt.% SiO₂) between November 2004 and August 2005.     

Ocean urea fertilization for carbon credits poses high ecological risks

The proposed plan for enrichment of the Sulu Sea, Philippines, a region of rich marine biodiversity, with thousands of tonnes of urea in order to stimulate algal blooms and sequester carbon is flawed for multiple reasons. Urea is preferentially used as a nitrogen source by some cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, many of which are neutrally or positively buoyant. Biological pumps to the deep sea are classically leaky, and the inefficient burial of new biomass makes the estimation of a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere questionable at best. The potential for growth of toxic dinoflagellates is also high, as many grow well on urea and some even increase their toxicity when grown on urea. Many toxic dinoflagellates form cysts which can settle to the sediment and germinate in subsequent years, forming new blooms even without further fertilization. If large-scale blooms do occur, it is likely that they will contribute to hypoxia in the bottom waters upon decomposition. Lastly, urea production requires fossil fuel usage, further limiting the potential for net carbon sequestration. The environmental and economic impacts are potentially great and need to be rigorously assessed.