The radiocarbon budget for Mono Lake: an unsolved mystery

Since 1957 the ¹⁴C/C ratio of the dissolved inorganic carbon in Mono Lake has risen by about 60‰. The magnitude of this increase is about four times larger than that expected from the invasion of bomb-produced¹⁴C from the atmosphere. We have eliminated the following explanations: (1) measurement error, (2) an unusually high physical exchange rate for non-reactive gases, (3) inorganic enhancement of the CO₂ exchange rate, and (4) biological enhancement of the CO₂ exchange rate. Clandestine disposal of waste radiocarbon remains a dark-horse explanation.In the course of our investigations we have uncovered evidence for at least one episodic input of radiocarbon-free carbon to the lake over the last 1000 years. We speculate that this injection was related to a hydrothermal event resulting from sublacustrine volcanic activity.     

Dissolved and particulate organic carbon in the North Inlet estuary,South Carolina: What controls their concentrations?

Water samples have been taken daily at 1030 EST from three locations within North Inlet (South Carolina) since June of 1980 in order to evaluate the tidal, seasonal, and eventually annual variability in carbon concentrations within this system and generate hypotheses explaining the observed trends. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations within North Inlet (South Carolina) vary inversely with salinity (r²=0.65), suggesting the main source of DOC in North Inlet is freshwater entering from the adjacent forested watershed. This assertion is supported by an observed decrease of tidal water salinity with the onset of streamflow. DOC variability is also associated with (1) groundwater advection and/or runoff and seepage from the marsh surface; (2) removal from tidal water via either physical sorption or biological uptake; (3) sampling location; and (4) origin of water mass. Particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations vary seasonally, higher values found during the summer. POC variability is controlled by a series of physical and biological factors. Evidence suggests that in the smaller tidal creeks, POC concentrations are associated with (1) rain events scouring the marsh surface, (2) phytoplankton concentrations varying as a function of tidal stage, and (3) removal of particulate material from the marsh surface on the ebb tide. In the larger tidal creeks tidal water velocity appears to be the main factor influencing POC values.     

Small galaxies are growing smaller

New telescope technology and major sky surveys are finding more and more dwarf galaxies. Steve Phillipps discusses how this growing population may hold the clues to understanding a range of galaxy collisions and interactions.     

Resistivity of partially saturated Triassic Sandstone

The variation in resistivity with saturation of poorly cemented Triassic Sandstone samples from a site in the English Midlands has been measured. The measurements were obtained using an adapted four‐electrode technique, which utilizes conductive gelling agents between electrodes, avoiding the need to sputter electrodes directly on to samples – a difficult process with such friable samples. The measurements provide important information regarding the way in which resistivity varies with saturation in the Triassic Sandstone. The resulting variation in the observed resistivity versus saturation curves indicates the presence of significant pore‐scale variation between samples. Measurements have also been conducted on fully saturated samples. These indicate significant variation in the matrix conductivity between samples. The results have important implications for field‐scale monitoring of the unsaturated zone.     

Earthquake-induced burial of archaeological sites along the southern Washington coast about A.D. 1700

Although inhabited by thousands of people when first reached by Europeans, the Pacific coast of southern Washington has little recognized evidence of prehistoric human occupation. This apparent contradiction may be explained partly by geologic evidence for coastal submergence during prehistoric earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone. Recently discovered archaeological sites, exposed in the banks of two tidal streams, show evidence for earthquake-induced submergence and consequent burial by intertidal mud about A.D. 1700. We surmise that, because of prehistoric earthquakes, other archaeological sites may now lie hidden beneath the surfaces of modern tidelands. Such burial of archaeological sites raises questions about the estimation of prehistoric human population densities along coasts subject to earthquake-induced submergence. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reservoir Potential of Silurian Carbonate Mud Mounds in the Southern Sichuan Basin, Central China

Lower Silurian mud mounds of the Shinuilan Formation, located in the southern Sichuan Basin, China, have developed in open shelf settings in deeper water than shallow-water reef-bearing limestones that occur in the region. An integration of the outcrop, drill data and seismic profiles show that contemporaneous faults have controlled the boundary and distribution of the sedimentary facies of Lower Silurian rocks in the southern Sichuan Basin. Mounds appear to have developed in the topographic lows formed by synsedimentary faulting, on the sheff of the Yangtze Platform. Average mound thickness is 20 m, maximum 35 m. Mounds are composed mainly of micrite, possibly microbially bound, and are overlain by shales. Mound tops are preferentially dolomitized, with the Mg^2＋ source probably from the clay content of the mound-top carbonate. Microfacies analysis and reconstruction of the diagenetic history reveal that the mound tops have higher porosity, and are gas targets; in contrast, mound cores and limbs show pores filled by three generations of calcite cement, and therefore have a low gas potential.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of sediment storage over 45 years in Carnation Creek,BC, a previously glaciated mountain catchment

The movement of sediment through mountain river networks remains difficult to predict, as processes beyond streamflow and particle size are responsible for the entrainment and transport of bedload sediment. In deglaciated catchments, additional complexity arises from glacial impacts on landscape organization. Research to date indicates that the quantity of sediment stored in the channel is an important component of sediment transport in systems which alternate between supply and transport limited states, but limited long-term field data exist which can capture storage-transfer dynamics over a timescale encompassing episodic supply typical of mountain streams. We use a 45-year dataset with annual and decadal-scale data on sediment storage, channel morphology, and wood loading to investigate the spatial and temporal organization of storage in Carnation Creek, a previously glaciated 11 km² catchment on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sediment is supplied episodically to the channel, including additions from debris flows in the early 1980s just upstream of the studied channel region. Analyzing the spatial and temporal organization of sediment storage along 3.0 km of channel mainstem reveals a characteristic storage wavelength similar to the annual bedload particle travel distance. Over time, two scales of variation in storage are observed: small-scale fluctuation of 3–10 years corresponding to local erosional and depositional processes, and larger scale response over 25–35 years related to supply of sediment from hillslopes. Complex relationships between storage and sediment transfer (i.e., annual change in storage) are identified, with decadal-scale hysteresis present in storage-transfer relations in sites influenced by hillslope sediment and logjams. We propose a conceptual model linking landscape organization to temporal variability in storage and to storage–export cycles. Collectively, our results reaffirm the importance of storage to sediment transport and channel morphology, and highlight the complexity of storage–transport interactions. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.