GeoPT5. An International Proficiency Test for Analytical Geochemistry Laboratories - Report on Round 5

Results are presented from the seventy two laboratories participating in GeoPT5, round five of the international proficiency testing programme for analytical geochemistry laboratories. The sample for round five, AMH-1 (Mount Hood andesite), was distributed during March 1999 and participating laboratories were asked to analyse the sample using their routine techniques and submit results to the steering by 15th June 1999. In this report, contributed data are listed together with the derived z-scores from which participating laboratories can assess their analytical performance. Z-scores in the range -2 to 2 are considered satisfactory. Z-score values that lie outside this range may indicate unsuspected analytical bias. The distinctive feature of the present round is that AMH-1 is a candidate reference material prepared by the USGS and it is intended that the present proficiency testing data will contribute to the reference material characterisation programme.     

Cyclic variations in the angular diameter of χ Cygni

We report the direct detection of cyclic diameter variations in the Mira variable χ Cygni. Interferometric observations made between 1997 July and 1999 September, using the Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope (COAST) and the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), indicate periodic changes in the apparent angular diameter at a wavelength of 905 nm, with amplitude 45 per cent of the smallest value. The star appears largest at minimum light. Measurements made at a wavelength of 1.3 μm over the same period suggest much smaller size changes. This behaviour is consistent with a model in which most of the apparent diameter variation at 905 nm is caused by a large increase in the opacity of the outer atmospheric layers (which is mostly owing to titanium oxide) near minimum light, rather than by physical motions of the photosphere. The 1.3-μm waveband is relatively uncontaminated by TiO, and so much smaller size changes would be expected in this band. The latest non-linear pulsational models predict maximum physical size close to maximum light, and increases in opacity near minimum light that are too small to reproduce the diameter variation seen at 905 nm. This suggests either that the phase-dependence of the model pulsation is incorrect, or that the opacities in the models are underestimated. Future interferometric monitoring in uncontaminated near-infrared wavebands should resolve this question.     

Groundwater monitoring at the watershed scale: An evaluation of recharge and nonpoint source pollutant loading in the Clear Creek Watershed,Iowa

Determining the groundwater contribution of nonpoint source pollution at a watershed scale is a challenging issue. In this study, we utilized a top‐down approach to characterize representative groundwater response units (GRUs) based on land use and landscape position (e.g., upland, sideslope, or floodplain) in the 275‐km² Clear Creek Watershed, Iowa. Groundwater monitoring wells were then established along downslope transects in representative GRUs. This unique combination of top‐down/bottom‐up approaches allowed us to estimate groundwater pollutant loads at the watershed scale with minimal monitoring. For the 2015 study period, results indicated that more groundwater recharge occurred in the floodplain (404 mm) compared to the uplands or sideslopes (281 and 165 mm, respectively), irrespective of land use. Recharge in the floodplains consisted of 37% of the annual precipitation, whereas upland wells averaged 26% and sideslopes averaged 15% of the annual precipitation. Less recharge was found to occur beneath perennial grass compared to row crop and urbanized areas. Baseflow discharge accounted for 69% of the total NO₃‐N exported from the Clear Creek Watershed, with row crop areas contributing approximately 95% of the annual load. Orthophosphorus (OP) yields were approximately 0.72 kg/ha beneath urban and suburban areas, three times higher than those in row crop or perennial areas. Urban and suburban areas accounted for 21.4% of groundwater orthophosphorus and chloride loads in the watershed compared to only 8.5% of the land area. Overall, the groundwater load allocation model for baseflow nutrient discharge to Clear Creek can be used to target future nonpoint source load reduction strategies at the watershed scale. The use of GRUs can pinpoint better areas of concern for controlling nutrient loads.     

Temporal and spatial pattern of thermokarst lake area changes at Yukon Flats,Alaska

To better understand the linkage between lake area change, permafrost conditions and intra‐annual and inter‐annual variability in climate, we explored the temporal and spatial patterns of lake area changes for a 422 382‐ha study area within Yukon Flats, Alaska using Landsat images of 17 dates between 1984 and 2009. Only closed basin lakes were used in this study. Among the 3529 lakes greater than 1 ha, closed basin lakes accounted for 65% by number and 50% by area. A multiple linear regression model was built to quantify the temporal change in total lake area with consideration of its intra‐annual and inter‐annual variability. The results showed that 80.7% of lake area variability was attributed to intra‐annual and inter‐annual variability in local water balance and mean temperature since snowmelt (interpreted as a proxy for seasonal thaw depth). Another 14.3% was associated with long‐term change. Among 2280 lakes, 350 lakes shrank, and 103 lakes expanded. The lakes with similar change trends formed distinct clusters, so did the lakes with similar short term intra‐annual and inter‐annual variability. By analysing potential factors driving lake area changes including evaporation, precipitation, indicators for regional permafrost change, and flooding, we found that ice‐jam flooding events were the most likely explanation for the observed temporal pattern. In addition to changes in the frequency of ice jam flooding events, the observed changes of individual lakes may be influenced by local variability in permafrost distributions and/or degradation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synoptic volumetric variations and flushing of the Tampa Bay estuary

Two types of analyses are used to investigate the synoptic wind-driven flushing of Tampa Bay in response to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle from 1950 to 2007. Hourly sea level elevations from the St. Petersburg tide gauge, and wind speed and direction from three different sites around Tampa Bay are used for the study. The zonal (u) and meridional (v) wind components are rotated clockwise by 40° to obtain axial and co-axial components according to the layout of the bay. First, we use the subtidal observed water level as a proxy for mean tidal height to estimate the rate of volumetric bay outflow. Second, we use wavelet analysis to bandpass sea level and wind data in the time–frequency domain to isolate the synoptic sea level and surface wind variance. For both analyses the long-term monthly climatology is removed and we focus on the volumetric and wavelet variance anomalies. The overall correlation between the Oceanic Niño Index and volumetric analysis is small due to the seasonal dependence of the ENSO response. The mean monthly climatology between the synoptic wavelet variance of elevation and axial winds are in close agreement. During the winter, El Niño (La Niña) increases (decreases) the synoptic variability, but decreases (increases) it during the summer. The difference in winter El Niño/La Niña wavelet variances is about 20 % of the climatological value, meaning that ENSO can swing the synoptic flushing of the bay by 0.22 bay volumes per month. These changes in circulation associated with synoptic variability have the potential to impact mixing and transport within the bay.     

The appearance of Ulva laetevirens (Ulvophyceae,Chlorophyta) in the northeast coast of the United States of America

Introduced species may outcompete or hybridize with native species, resulting in the loss of native biodiversity or even alteration of ecosystem processes. In this study, we reported an alien distromatic Ulva species, which was found in an embayment (Holly Pond) connected with Long Island Sound, USA. The morphological and anatomical observations in combination with molecular data were used for its identification to species. Anatomy of collected specimens showed that the cell shape in rhizoidal and basal regions was round and the marginal teeth along the basal and median region were not found. These characteristics were primarily identical to the diagnostic characteristics of Ulva laetevirens Areschoug (Chlorophyta). The plastid-encoding tufA and nucleusencoding ITS1 were used for its molecular identification. Phylogenetic analysis for the tufA gene placed the specimens from Holly Pond in a well-supported clade along with published sequences of U. laetevirens identified early without any sequence divergence. In ITS tree, the sample also formed well-supported clades with the sequences of U. laetevirens with an estimated sequence divergence among the taxa in these clades as low as 1%. These findings confirmed the morpho-anatomical conclusion. Native to Australia, this species was reported in several countries along the Mediterranean coast after the late of 1990s. This is the first time that U. laetevirens is found in the northeast coast of United States and the second record for Atlantic North America.     

New developments on estimating satellite interfrequency bias for SVN49

In order to estimating satellite interfrequency bias T_gd for the anomalously behaving SVN49, a modified JPL GIM software suite is presented. This research assumed that the single-frequency user will not need to perform any modification in the receiver software and will not need any detailed knowledge of the satellite anomaly using the code observable. We performed a point positioning analysis and investigated the range residuals for SVN49. It was discovered that the new satellite bias estimate resulted in near zero mean residuals with the shape of P2-P1 and L1-L2 observables being consistent with shapes from other satellites. Also, computed is a 10-day average of the estimated satellite interfrequency bias T_gd, which turned out to be −19.13 ns.