Carbon budget for a subtropical seagrass dominated coastal lagoon: How important are seagrasses to total ecosystem net primary production?

It has been assumed that because seagrasses dominate macrophyte biomass in many estuaries they also dominate primary production. We tested this assumption by developing three carbon budgets to examine the contribution of autotrophic components to the total ecosystem net primary production (TENPP) of Lower Laguna Madre, Texas. The first budget coupled average photosynthetic parameters with average daily irradiance to calculate daily production. The second budget used average photosynthetic parameters and hourly in situ irradiance to estimate productivity. The third budget integrated temperature-adjusted photosynthetic parameters (using Q₁₀=2) and hourly in situ irradiance to estimate productivity. For each budget TENPP was calculated by integrating production from each autotroph based on the producers’ areal distribution within the entire Lower Laguna Madre. All budgets indicated that macroalgae account for 33–42% of TENPP and seagrasses consistently accounted for about 33–38%. The contribution by phytoplankton was consistently about 15–20%, and the contribution from the benthic microalgae varied between 8% and 36% of TENPP, although this may have been underestimated due to our exclusion of the within bed microphytobenthos component. The water column over the seagrass beds was net heterotrophic and consequently was a carbon sink consuming between 5% and 22% of TENPP, TENPP ranged between 5.41×10¹⁰ and 2.53×10¹¹ g C yr⁻¹, depending on which budget was used. The simplest, most idealized budget predicted the highest TENPP, while the more realistic budgets predicted lower values. Annual production rates estimated using the third budget forHalodule urightii andThalassia testudinum compare well with field data. Macroalgae and microalgae contribute 50–60% of TENPP, and seagrass may be more important as three-dimensional habitat (i.e., structure) than as a source of organic carbon to the water column in Lower Laguna Madre.     

Isotopic partitioning between scallop shell calcite and seawater: effect of shell growth rate

The relationship between molluscan shell growth rate and skeletal δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C was investigated in a detailed field study for the scallop, Pecten maximus. Seasonal variation in shell growth rate was found to be a governing factor influencing shell δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C. At low shell growth rates, shell δ¹⁸O were more positive (of the order +0.4‰) and δ¹³C more negative (up to −2‰) as compared with predicted values for precipitation of inorganic calcite in isotopic equilibrium with seawater. The deviations in δ¹⁸O were hypothesized as reflecting possible differences in solution carbonate chemistry at the site of mineralization in the extrapallial fluid as compared with that of the external seawater medium. The deviations in shell δ¹³C were consistent with incorporation of isotopically depleted respiratory ¹³C (i.e., a metabolic effect). A trend toward more depleted shell δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values occurred at higher shell growth rates, with negative δ¹⁸O values as compared with predicted equilibrium at shell growth rates above 0.13 mm per day. These simultaneous negative deviations in skeletal δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C were interpreted as resulting from a kinetic effect. The implications for environmental reconstruction from molluscan isotopic records are discussed in light of a model of isotopic behavior based on the findings of the study.     

Rapid photo-oxidation of Mn(II) mediated by humic substances

The oxidation of Mn(II) by O₂ to Mn(III) or Mn(IV) is thermodynamically favored under the pH and pO₂ conditions present in most near surface waters, but the kinetics of this reaction are extremely slow. This work investigated whether reactive oxygen species, produced through illumination of humic substances, could oxidize Mn at an environmentally relavent rate. The simulated sunlight illumination of a solution containing 200 μM Mn(II) and 5 mg/L Aldrich humic acid buffered at pH 8.1 produced ∼19 μM of oxidized Mn (MnO_x where x is between one and two) after 45 minutes. The major oxidants reponsible for this reaction appear to be photoproduced superoxide radical anion, O₂⁻, and singlet molecular oxygen, ¹O₂. The dependencies of MnO_x formation on Mn(II), humic acid, and H⁺ concentration were characterized. A kinetic model based largely on published rate constants was established and fit to the experimental data. As expected, analysis of the model indicates that the key reaction rate controlling MnO_x production is the rate of decomposition of a MnO₂⁺ complex formed from the reaction of Mn(II) with O₂⁻. This rate is strongly dependent on the Mn(II) complexing ligands in solution. The MnO_x production in the seawater sample taken from Bodega Bay, USA and spiked with 200 μM Mn(II) was well reproduced by the model. Extrapolations from the model imply that Mn photo-oxidation should be a significant reaction in typical surface seawaters. Calculated rates, 5.8 to 55 pM h⁻¹, are comparable to reported rates of biological Mn oxidation, 0.07 to 89 pM h⁻¹. Four fresh water samples that were spiked with 200 μM Mn(II) also showed significant MnO_x production. Based on these results, it appears that Mn photo-oxidation could constitute a significant, and apparently unrecognized geochemical pathway in natural waters.     

A decade of change in the Skidaway River estuary I. Hydrography and nutrients

The Skidaway River estuary is a tidally-dominated subtropical estuary in the southeastern USA surrounded by extensiveSpartina salt marshes. Weekly smapling at high and low tide began in 1986 for hydrography, nutrients, chlorophylla, particulate matter, and microbial and plankton biomass and composition; hydrographic and nutrient data during 1986–1996 are reported here. Salinity varied inversely with river discharge and exhibited variability at all time scales but with no long-term trend. Water temperature typically ranged over 25°C and was without apparent long-term frend. Seasonal cycles in concentrations of NO₃, NH₄, PO₄, Si(OH)₄, and DON were observed, with annual maxima generally occurring in late summer. Superimposed on seasonal cycles, all five nutrients exhibited steady increases in minimum, mean, and maximum concentrations; mean concentrations increased c. 50–150% during the decade. Nutrient concentrations were highly correlated with water temperature over the ten-year period, but weakly related to salinity and discharge. Nutrients were strongly correlated with one another, and the relative ratios among inorganic nutrients showed little long-term trend. Correlations among temperature and nutrient concentrations exhibited considerable inter-annual variability. Major spikes in organic and inorganic nutrient concentrations coincided with significant rainfall events; concentrations increased hyperbolically with rainfall. Although pristine compared to more heavily impacted waterways primarily outside the region, residential development and population density have been increasing rapidly during the past 15–20 years. Land use is apparently altering nutrient loading over the long-term (months-years), and superimposed on this are stochastic meteorological events that accelerate these changes over the short term (days-weeks).     

An estuarine benthic index of biotic integrity for the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. II. Index development

A benthic index of biotic integrity was developed for use in estuaries of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States (Delaware Bay estuary through Albemarle-Pamlico Sound). The index was developed for the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment Program (MAIA) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency using procedures similar to those applied previously in Chesapeake Bay and southeastern estuaries, and was based on sampling in July through early October. Data from seven federal and state sampling programs were used to categorize sites as degraded or non-degraded based on dissolved oxygen, sediment contaminant, and sediment toxicity criteria. Various metrics of benthic community structure and function that distinguished between degraded and reference (non-degraded) sites were selected for each of five major habitat types defined by classification analysis of assemblages. Each metric was scored according to thresholds established on the distribution of values at reference sites, so that sites with low scoring metrics would be expected to show signs of degradation. For each habitat, metrics that correctly classified at least 50% of the degraded sites in the calibration data set were selected whenever possible to derive the index. The final index integrated the average score of the combination of metrics that performed best according to several criteria. Selected metrics included measures of productivity (abundance), diversity (number of taxa, Shannon-Wiener diversity, percent dominance), species composition and life history (percent abundance of pollution-indicative taxa, percent abundance of pollution-sensitive taxa, percent abundance of Bivalvia, Tanypodinae-Chironomidae abundance ratio), and trophic composition (percent abundance of deep-deposit feeders). The index correctly classified 82% of all sites in an independent data set. Classification efficiencies of sites were higher in the mesohaline and polyhaline habitats (81–92%) than in the oligohaline (71%) and the tidal freshwater (61%). Although application of the index to low salinity habitats should be done with caution, the MAIA index appeared to be quite reliable with a high likelihood of correctly identifying both degraded and non-degraded conditions. The index is expected to be of great utility in regional assessments as a tool for evaluating the integrity of benthic assemblages and tracking their condition over time.     

Probing mid-mantle heterogeneity using PKP coda waves

We investigate the utility of PKP coda waves for studying weak scattering from small-scale heterogeneity in the mid-mantle. Coda waves are potentially a useful probe of heterogeneity in the mid-mantle because they are not preferentially scattered near the CMB, as PKP precursors are, but are sensitive to scattering at all depths. PKP coda waves have not been used for this purpose historically because of interference with other late-arriving energy due to near-surface resonance and scattering. Any study of deep mantle scattering using coda waves requires the removal of near-surface effects from the data. We have analyzed 3624 recordings of PKP precursors and coda made by stations in the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Global Seismographic Network (GSN). To study the range and time dependence of the scattered waves, we binned and stacked envelopes of the recordings. We have considered precursors that arrive within a 20 s window before PKP and coda waves in a 60 s window after PKP. The PKP scattered waves increase in amplitude rapidly with range as predicted by scattering theory. At ranges below 125°, we predict and observe essentially no scattered energy preceding PKP. Coda amplitudes at these ranges are independent of range and provide an estimate of energy due to near-surface effects that we can expect at all ranges. We use the average coda amplitude at ranges from 120 to 125° to correct coda amplitudes at other ranges. PKP coda waves show a strong dependence on time and range and are clearly influenced by scattering in the lower mantle. PKP coda waves, however, do not provide a tighter constraint on the vertical distribution of mantle heterogeneity than is provided by precursors. This is due, in part, to relatively large scatter in coda amplitudes as revealed by a resampling analysis. Modeling using Rayleigh–Born scattering theory and an exponential autocorrelation function shows that PKP coda amplitudes are not highly sensitive to the vertical distribution of heterogeneity in the mantle. To illustrate this we consider single-scattering in two extreme models of mantle heterogeneity. One allows heterogeneity just at the CMB; the other includes heterogeneity throughout the mantle. The amplitudes of precursors are tightly constrained by our stack and support our earlier conclusion that small-scale heterogeneity is uniformly distributed throughout the lower mantle. The best-fit model includes 8 km scale length heterogeneity with an rms velocity contrast throughout the mantle of 1%.     

Common-Reflection-Surface Stack for Converted Waves

The finite-offset (FO) common-reflection-surface (CRS) stack has been shown to be able to handle not only P-P or S-S but also arbitrarily converted reflections. It can provide different stack sections such as common-offset (CO), common-midpoint (CMP) and common-shot (CS) sections with significantly increased signal-to-noise ratio from the multi-coverage pre-stack seismic data in a data-driven way. It is our purpose in this paper to demonstrate the performance of the FO CRS stack on data involving converted waves in inhomogeneous layered media. In order to do this we apply the FO CRS stack for common-offset to a synthetic seismic data set involving P-P as well as P-S converted primary reflections. We show that the FO CRS stack yields convincing improvement of the image quality in the presence of noisy data and successfully extracts kinematic wavefield attributes useful for further analyses. The extracted emergence angle information is used to achieve a complete separation of the wavefield into its P-P and P-S wave components, given the FO CRS stacked horizontal and vertical component sections.     

The CTBT and advances in earth science

David Booth and Peter Maguire report on a two-day meeting organized by the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Geophysical Association, that showed how scientific challenges generated by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty have been addressed, and how they continue to stimulate advances in earth science.