Geophysical ground-truthing experiments in Eckernförde Bay

During the 1994 Coastal Benthic Boundary Layer Project research cruise in Eckernförde Bay, multichannel digital seismic and electrical resistivity data were collected using surface- and bottom-towed arrays. Profiling with a bottom-towed sled yielded shear wave velocity and electrical resistivity data indicative of the structural strength of the sediment and of the properties of the pore space. Shear wave velocities for the gassy mud were, as expected, extremely low, ranging from < 10 m s^–1 at the surface to around 16 m s^–1 at 2 m. Variations in electrical properties were correlatable with lithological change. It is anticipated that analysis of reflection responses will provide significant additional geotechnical ground-truthing.     

Multiple approaches to formation processes: The Pine Spring Site,southwest Wyoming

Excavations in 1964 at the Pine Spring site in southwest Wyoming concluded that the site contains three cultural occupation levels; the earliest allegedly dates to the terminal Pleistocene and is associated with megafauna. However, excavations in 1998 and 2000, and analysis of the stratigraphy, AMS dates, micromorphology, and artifact carbonate isotopes, along with debitage refitting, density, orientation, inclination, burning, and trample damage, could not replicate the 1964 findings. A hiatus in deposition accounts for the highest density of artifacts, and the three original occupations are palimpsests. There is no unequivocal association between evidence of human activity and megafaunal remains. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Hillslope groundwater discharges provide localized stream ecosystem buffers from regional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination

Emerging groundwater contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact surface-water quality and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of gaining streams. Although complex near-surface hydrogeology of stream corridors challenges sampling efforts, recent advances in heat tracing of discharge zones enable efficient and informed data collection. For this study, we used a combination of streambed temperature push-probe and thermal infrared methods to guide a discharge-zone-oriented sample collection along approximately 6 km of a coastal trout stream on Cape Cod, MA. Eight surface-water locations and discharging groundwater from 24 streambed and bank seepages were analysed for dissolved oxygen (DO), specific conductance, stable water isotopes, and a range of PFAS compounds, which are contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic environments. The results indicate a complex system of groundwater discharge source flowpaths, where the sum of concentrations of six PFAS compounds (corresponding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule “UCMR 3”) showed a median concentration of 52 ± 331 (SD) ng/L with two higher outliers and three discharges with PFAS concentrations below the quantification limit. Higher PFAS concentration was related (− 0.66 Spearman rank, p < .001) to discharging groundwater that showed an evaporative signature (deuterium excess), indicating flow through at least one upgradient kettle lake. Therefore, more regional groundwater flowpaths originating from outside the local river corridor tended to show higher PFAS concentrations as evaluated at their respective discharge zones. Conversely, PFAS concentrations were typically low at discharges that did not indicate evaporation and were adjacent to steep hillslopes and, therefore, were classified as locally recharged groundwater. Previous research at this stream found that the native brook trout spawn at discharge points of groundwater recharged on local hillslopes, likely in response to generally higher levels of DO. Our study shows that by targeting high oxygen discharges the trout may thereby be avoiding emerging contaminants such as PFAS in groundwater recharged farther from the stream.     

A comparison of organic wastes as bioadsorbents of heavy metal cations in aqueous solution and their capacity for desorption and regeneration

The adsorption capacity of seven organic wastes/by-products (slash pine, red gum and western cypress bark, composted green waste, prawn exoskeletons, spent brewery yeast and mill mud from a sugar mill) for transition metals were determined at two metal concentrations (10 and 100 mg L⁻¹) and three equilibrium pH values (4.0, 6.0 and 8.0) in batch adsorption experiments. All tested materials indicate a positive affinity to adsorb metal cations from aqueous solution and spent yeast was the least effective. Adsorption generally increased with increasing pH and the order of selectivity of metals was: Cr³⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Pb²⁺ > Zn²⁺ ≥ Cd²⁺. For pine bark, compost, spent yeast and prawn shell, quantities of previously adsorbed Pb and Cd desorbed in 0.01 M NaNO₃ electrolyte were negligible. However, 0.01 M HNO₃, and more particularly 0.10 and 0.50 M HNO₃ were effective at removing both adsorbed Pb and Cd. Using 0.10 M HNO₃ as the regenerating agent, pine bark and compost maintained their Pb and Cd adsorption capacity over eight successive adsorption/regeneration cycles. For mill mud and prawn shell, there was a pronounced decrease in adsorption capacity after only one regeneration cycle. A subsidiary experiment confirmed that acid pre-treatment of the latter two materials appreciably reduced their Pb and Cd adsorption capacity. This was ascribed to the metal adsorption capacity of prawn shell and mill mud being partially attributable to their significant CaCO₃ content and acid treatment induces dissolution of the CaCO₃. It was shown that in relation to both adsorption capacity and desorption/regeneration capability, composted green waste showed the greatest potential.     

Simultaneous and sequential approaches to joint optimization of well placement and control

Determining optimal well placement and control is essential to maximizing production from an oil field. Most academic literature to date has treated optimal placement and control as two separate problems; well placement problems, in particular, are often solved assuming some fixed flow rate or bottom-hole pressure at injection and production wells. Optimal placement of wells, however, does depend on the control strategy being employed. Determining a truly optimal configuration of wells thus requires that the control parameters be allowed to vary as well. This presents a challenging optimization problem, since well location and control parameters have different properties from one another. In this paper, we address the placement and control optimization problem jointly using approaches that combine a global search strategy (particle swarm optimization, or PSO) with a local generalized pattern search (GPS) strategy. Using PSO promotes a full, semi-random exploration of the search space, while GPS allows us to locally optimize parameters in a systematic way. We focus primarily on two approaches combining these two algorithms. The first is to hybridize them into a single algorithm that acts on all variables simultaneously, while the second is to apply them sequentially to decoupled well placement and well control problems. We find that although the best method for a given problem is context-specific, decoupling the problem may provide benefits over a fully simultaneous approach.     

Ice elevation and areal changes of glaciers from the Northern Patagonia Icefield, Chile

High thinning rates (up to − 4.0 ± 0.97 m a^− 1) have been measured at Campo de Hielo Patagónico Norte (CHN) or Northern Patagonia Icefield, Chile between 1975 and 2001. Results have been obtained by comparing a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) derived from regular cartography compiled by Instituto Geográfico Militar of Chile (IGM) based upon 1974/1975 aerial photographs and a DEM generated from Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) satellite images acquired in September 2001. A complete cloud-free Landsat ETM+ satellite image mosaic acquired in March 2001 was used to update the available glacier inventory of the CHN, including all glaciers larger than 0.5 km² (48 new glaciers). A new delineation of ice divides was also performed over the accumulation areas of glaciers sharing the high plateau where the existing regular cartography exhibits poor coverage of topographic information. This updated glacier inventory produced a total ice area for 2001 of 3953 km², which represents a decrease of 3.4 ± 1.5% (140 ± 61 km² of ice) with respect to the total ice area of the CHN in 1979 calculated from a Landsat MSS satellite image. Almost 62% of the total area change between 1979 and 2001 took place in glaciers located at the western margin of the CHN, where the maximum area loss was experienced by Glaciar San Quintín with 33 km². At the southern margin, Glaciar Steffen underwent the largest ice-area loss (12 km² or 2.6% of the 1979 area), whilst at the eastern margin the greatest area loss took place in Glaciares Nef (7.9 km², 5.7% of the 1979 area) and Colonia (9.1 km², 2.7% of the 1979 area). At the northern margin of the CHN the lower debris-covered ablation area of Glaciar Grosse collapsed into a new freshwater lake formed during the late 1990s. The areal changes measured at the CHN are much larger than previously estimated due to the inclusion of changes experienced in the accumulation areas. The CHN as a whole is contributing melt water to global sea level rise at rates  25% higher than previous estimates.     

Organochlorine, Heavy Metal and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Pollutant Concentrations in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia) Environment: a Review

Past monitoring of heavy metals, organochlorine compounds and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has found that pollutant concentrations are generally low within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area and are indicative of a relatively unpolluted environment. The exceptions are sites that are adjacent to human activity such as ports and harbours, urban centres and areas adjacent to intensive agricultural activity. These sites have elevated concentrations of a range of pollutants. Concentrations of dioxins have also been found to be elevated in marine park sediments. Elevated pollutant concentrations are generally the consequence of effluent discharge, urban stormwater, and agricultural and industrial runoff. However, a majority of Great Barrier Reef pollutant data are now dated, and contemporary information is required concerning the distribution and impact of pollutants in the Queensland marine environment. The utility of specialized monitoring tools such as biomarkers for tropical marine environments urgently needs to be examined. With this information, appropriate risk assessment and monitoring can be implemented and effective management strategies developed to protect tropical marine ecosystems including the Great Barrier Reef.     

Organochlorine and heavy metal concentrations in blubber and liver tissue collected from Queensland (Australia) dugong (Dugong dugon)

Tissue samples of liver and blubber were salvaged from fifty-three dugong (Dugong dugon) carcasses stranded along the Queensland coast between 1996 and 2000. Liver tissue was analysed for a range of heavy metals and blubber samples were analysed for organochlorine compounds. Metal concentrations were similar in male and female animals and were generally highest in mature animals. Liver concentrations of arsenic, chromium, iron, lead, manganese, mercury and nickel in a number of individual animals were elevated in comparison to concentrations previously reported in Australian dugong. Dieldrin, DDT (and its breakdown products) and/or heptachlor epoxide were detected in 59% of dugong blubber samples. In general, concentrations of organochlorines were similar to those reported in dugong 20 years earlier, and were low in comparison to concentrations recorded from marine mammal tissue collected elsewhere in the world. With the exception of lead, the extent of carcass decomposition, the presence of disease or evidence of animal starvation prior to death did not significantly affect dugong tissue concentrations of metals or organochlorines. The results of the study suggest that bioaccumulation of metals and organochlorine compounds (other than dioxins) does not represent a significant risk to Great Barrier Reef dugong populations, particularly in the context of other pressures associated with coastal development and other anthropogenic activities.