Spatio-temporal changes of marine macrobenthic community in sub-tropical waters upon recovery from eutrophication. I. Sediment quality and community structure

A two-year study was conducted in the vicinity of a harbour in sub-tropical Hong Kong, to examine the progress of improvement in sediment quality and recovery of macrobenthic community upon cessation of organic pollution caused by sewage discharge. Median sediment particle diameter (Mdphi) and levels of total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia-nitrogen (NH(3)-N) and total phosphorus (TP), as well as macrobenthic species composition and abundance were determined bi-monthly at three inside-harbour and two outside-harbour locations. At the two inside-harbour locations, significantly higher levels of TOC, TKN, NH(3)-N and TP in sediments were observed than the outside-harbour locations. However, no significant temporal change of nutrient levels was detected at all sampling locations during the two-year study, except a significant decrease in TKN and NH(3)-N levels at one outside-harbour location and a decline in NH(3)-N content at another outside-harbour location. Spatially, the highest in mean total species number, individual number, species diversity H' and lowest evenness J was found at one outside-harbour location, whereas the other four locations had relatively similar values. H' was negatively correlated with TOC, TKN, NH(3)-N and TP content in sediments while J was positively correlated with MDphi. Across the study period, the patterns of macrobenthic community were significantly different among all samplings and that the spatial difference of benthic community was best correlated with MDphi, TOC, TKN and water depth. A weak sign of recovery in macrobenthic community structure was detected at inside-harbour locations, with replacement of opportunistic by ubiquitous species over the two-year study. The slow recovery of macrobenthic community was related to sediment characteristics. Results of a larval settlement bioassay using the polychaete Capitella sp. I also demonstrated that the inside-harbour sediments were still unfavourable for colonization and larval settlement of species sensitive to pollution. The slow biodegradation of the organic pollutants and continuous presence of heavy metals in the sediment may hinder settlement and colonization of benthic animals. However, increases of H' and J were observed in a longer time scale when comparing the present data with those obtained four years ago. This suggested that a detectable recovery of benthic community in the harbour may take at least three years and a complete recovery may even take longer duration.     

Über den Stoffhaushalt der Donau und ihrer Nebenflüsse

Zusammenfassung Nach einem kurzen überblich über frühere stoffwechseldynamische Untersuchungen im Donauraum nach dem Stand der Monographie werden neuere, teilweise noch unver?ffentlichte Ergebnisse rum?nischer, ungarischer und deutscher Arbeitsgruppen zusammenfassend referiert. Diese neueren Untersuchungen betreffen die Nitrifikationsprozesse im Bistritza-Stausee Bicaz (Rum?nien) sowie Prim?rproduktion und biogene Belüftung der Donau im Bereich von Alsog?d-Budapest (Ungarn) und im Bereich von Kelheim-Jochenstein (BR Deutschland). Dieser Bericht wird erg?nzt durch einige Befunde biochemischer Untersuchungen an anderen grossen Flüssen, und hieraus wird ein Programm für weitere gemeinsame stoffwechseldynamische Forschungen im Donauraum abgeleitet.

---

Summary After a short survey on former investigations concerning the dynamic cycle of elements in river Danube, newer, partially unpublished results of Rumanian, Hungarian and German working groups are digested. These newer investigations concern the nitrification processes in the Bistritza dam of Bicaz (Rumania) and primary production as well as biogenic reaeration of river Danube in the region of Alsog?d-Budapest (Hungary) and Kelheim-Jochenstein (German Fed. Rep.). This survey is completed by some results of biochemical investigations at other great rivers and from that a programme for further cooperation concerning the biochemical questions of dynamic cycle of substances in river Danube is derived.

---

---

Dem unvergessenen Donauforscher Prof. Dr. Endre Dudich, Budapest, gewidmet.     

Particle size dependent response of aerosol counters

During an international workshop at the Institute for Experimental Physics of the University of Vienna, Austria, which was coordinated within the Committee on Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols (IAMAS-IUGG), 10 instruments for aerosol number concentration measurement were studied, covering a wide range of methods based on various different measuring principles. In order to investigate the detection limits of the instruments considered with respect to particle size, simultaneous number concentration measurements were performed for monodispersed aerosols with particle sizes ranging from 1.5 to 50 nm diameter and various compositions.The instruments considered show quite different response characteristics, apparently related to the different vapors used in the various counters to enlarge the particles to an optically detectable size. A strong dependence of the 50% cutoff diameter on the particle composition in correlation with the type of vapor used in the specific instrument was found. An enhanced detection efficiency for ultrafine hygroscopic sodium chloride aerosols was observed with water operated systems, an analogous trend was found for n-butanol operated systems with nonhygroscopic silver and tungsten oxide particles.     

The temperature of nonspherical circumstellar dust grains

The temperatures of prolate and oblate spheroidal dust grains in the envelopes of stars of various spectral types are calculated. Homogeneous particles with aspect ratios a/b≤10 composed of amorphous carbon, iron, dirty ice, various silicates, and other materials are considered. The temperatures of spherical and spheroidal particles were found to vary similarly with particle size, distance to the star, and stellar temperature. The temperature ratio T _d(spheroid)/T _d(sphere) depends most strongly on the grain chemical composition and shape. Spheroidal grains are generally colder than spherical particles of the same volume; only iron spheroids can be slightly hotter than iron spheres. At a/b≈2, the temperature differences do not exceed 10%. If a/b≥4, the temperatures can differ by 30–40%. For a fixed dust mass in the medium, the fluxes at wavelengths λ≥100 are higher if the grains are nonspherical, which gives overestimated dust masses from millimeter observations. The effect of grain shape should also be taken into account when modeling Galactic-dust emission properties, which are calculated when searching for fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background radiation in its Wien wing.     

西藏羊八井热田地热流体成因及演化的惰性气体制约

地热流体中惰性气体的相对丰度和同位素组成，不仅可以揭露热田的热源性质，而且还能够揭示深，浅层地热流体的内在联系和演化过程等。在西藏羊八井热田的地热气体中，已检测出大量的^4He组分，3He/^4He值是大气的0．087－0．259倍，表明深部地壳物质的局部熔融为热田提供能量，浅层地热流体的3He/4He 值自西北向东南呈降低趋势，与热储温度的变化相一致，反映出侧向运移时补充了更多的壳源氦，热田北区深层地热流体具有稍高的3He/4He值，是浅层地热流体的母源，气体中氪和氙的相对丰度具有大气降水成因的特征，结合现有的实际资料，建立了热田地热流体的概念模型。     

UPb zircon and rutile chronology of Archean greenstone formation and gold mineralization in the Val d'Or region, Quebec

UPb geochronology provides an absolute time framework for the evolution of the Sigma gold deposit and surrounding rocks at Val d'Or, southern Abitibi subprovince. The Bourlamaque batholith, the largest pluton in the area, gives a 2699.8 ± 1.0 Ma UPb zircon age. This pluton cuts the Val d'Or Formation which hosts the mineralization. A UPb zircon age of 2704.9 ± 1.1 Ma on a felsic volcanic rock, the Colombière “rhyolite”, 13 km east of the mine dates that formation. The gold-bearing quartz vein system at Sigma is hosted by andesites and two generations of porphyry intrusions, all metamorphosed to the greenschist facies. The oldest porphyry (“porphyritic diorite”) shows the same deformation as the volcanic rocks, and has a 2703.7 ± 2.5 Ma UPb zircon age. The porphyritic diorite and volcanic rocks are cut by feldspar-porphyry dykes which post-date regional folding and have a 2694.0 ± 2.2 Ma UPb zircon age.Regional greenschist metamorphism has been dated directly, with a UPb date of 2684 ± 7 Ma on rutile in the Colombière “rhyolite”. The mineralization and hydrothermal alteration in the mine are superimposed on the metamorphic minerals. Hydrothermal rutile, from an alteration halo around the veins in andesite, has a 2599 ± 9 Ma UPb age. Textural evidence clearly indicates that the wall-rock alteration and vein filling are contemporaneous, and hence the vein system and gold mineralization appear to have developed at least 80 m.y. after the formation and metamorphism of host greenstones.     

From Grain to Floodplain: Evaluating heterogeneity of floodplain hydrostatigraphy using sedimentology,geophysics, and remote sensing

Stratigraphy is a fundamental component of floodplain heterogeneity and hydraulic conductivity and connectivity of alluvial aquifers, which affect hydrologic processes such as groundwater flow and hyporheic exchange. Watershed-scale hydrological models commonly simplify the sedimentology and stratigraphy of floodplains, neglecting natural floodplain heterogeneity and anisotropy. This study, conducted in the upper reach of the East River in the East River Basin, Colorado, USA, combines point-, meander-, and floodplain-scale data to determine key features of alluvial aquifers important for estimating hydrologic processes. We compare stratigraphy of two meanders with disparate geometries to explore floodplain heterogeneity and connectivity controls on flow and transport. Meander shape, orientation, and internal stratigraphy affected residence time estimates of laterally exchanged hyporheic water. Although the two meanders share a sediment source, vegetation, and climate, their divergent river migration histories resulted in contrasting meander hydrofacies. In turn, the extent and orientation of these elements controlled the effective hydraulic conductivity and, ultimately, estimates of groundwater transport and hyporheic residence times. Additionally, the meanders’ orientation relative to the valley gradient impacted the hydraulic gradient across the meanders—a key control of groundwater velocity. Lastly, we combine our field data with remotely sensed data and introduce a potential approach to estimate key hydrostratigraphic packages across floodplains. Prospective applications include contaminant transport studies, hyporheic models, and watershed models. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Can turbidity caused by Corophium volutator (Pallas) activity be used to assess sediment toxicity rapidly?

The standard toxicity test organism, Corophium volutator, exhibits a behavioural response to contaminated sediments that causes increased turbidity of overlying water. We quantify the effects of this response to an estuarine sediment spiked with copper and hydrocarbon contaminated sediments from an oil installation in the North Sea. Turbidity measured 24 h after the start of a toxicity test shows a strong relationship with contaminant concentrations and with mortality after 10 days. Turbidity measurements can therefore give a rapid indication of sediment toxicity, permitting a reduction in storage time of sediments to be used in dilution series and toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) tests, reducing the likelihood of contaminants degrading prior to testing.     

A three-dimensional hydrogeological–geophysical model of a multi-layered aquifer in the coastal alluvial plain of Sarno River (southern Italy)

The coastal alluvial plain of Sarno River (Campania Region, southern Italy) is a very rich environment that has experienced a long history of changes due to both natural phenomena such as eustatic sea-level variations and deposition of volcanoclastic sediments, and human civilizations who populated this area since historical times. As a result, it is characterized by complex stratigraphic sequences and groundwater flow systems. The architecture of the multi-layered aquifer system in a sample area, located in a densely urbanized sector at the mouth of Sarno River, was reconstructed. Starting from the analysis of stratigraphic log data and laboratory geotechnical measurements, the lithostratigraphical-unit sequence was retrieved and a realistic three-dimensional (3D) model of the hydrogeological heterogeneity was obtained. The results of a detailed 2D electrical resistivity tomography survey were used to support the analysis of the spatial heterogeneity of the aquifer system in a sector characterized by lack of log data. The integration of hydrogeological and geophysical data allowed for the reconstruction of a 3D hydrogeophysical model of the multi-layered system, which electrically characterizes and geometrically identifies two aquifers. Finally, piezometric-level measurements validated the hydrogeological–geophysical model and showed the effectiveness of the methodology.