Application of Laser‐Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Images for Direct Evaluation of Chemical Elemental Profiles of Coprolites

This study demonstrates the application of laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and hyperspectral imaging to the investigation of coprolite and fossil samples. Solid samples from the Permian (seven coprolites and one fossil), Cretaceous (one coprolite) and Oligo‐Miocene (two coprolites) periods were directly analysed, and emission spectra from 186 to 1042 nm were obtained in several areas covering coprolite/fossil and rock material. Initial exploratory analyses were performed using principal component analysis with the data set normalised by the norm (Euclidean norm = 1). After identification and selection of emission lines of eleven elements (Al, Ca, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P and Si), the signals were normalised again by the relative intensity of the selected element. Phosphorus was identified mainly in the coprolites, while K and Na were primarily found in the rock material. In several cases, there was a positive correlation between Ca and P. A sample from the Oligo‐Miocene series was also analysed using inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES) (rock and coprolites were analysed separately). Based on the quantitative results from ICP‐OES, it was confirmed that the tendency was the same as that observed with the results obtained from LIBS directly in the solid sample.     

Response time and water origin in a steep nested catchment in the Italian Dolomites

In this study, we investigate the surface flow time of rise in response to rainfall and snowmelt events at different spatial scales and the main sources originating channel runoff and spring water in a steep nested headwater catchment (Rio Vauz, Italian Dolomites), characterized by a marked elevation gradient. We monitored precipitation at different elevations and measured water stage/streamflow at the outlet of two rocky subcatchments of the same size, representative of the upper part of the catchment dominated by outcropping bedrock, at the outlet of a soil‐mantled and vegetated subcatchment of similar size but different morphology, and at the outlet of the main catchment. Hydrometric data are coupled with stable isotopes and electrical conductivity sampled from different water sources during five years, and used as tracers in end‐member mixing analysis, application of two component mixing models and analysis of the slope of the dual‐isotope regression line. Results reveal that times of rise are slightly shorter for the two rocky subcatchments, particularly for snowmelt and mixed rainfall/snowmelt events, compared to the soil‐mantled catchment and the entire Rio Vauz Catchment. The highly‐variable tracer signature of the different water sources reflects the geomorphological and geological complexity of the study area. The principal end‐members for channel runoff and spring water are identified in rainfall and snowmelt, which are the dominant water sources in the rocky upper part of the study catchment, and soil water and shallow groundwater, which play a relevant role in originating baseflow and spring water in the soil‐mantled and vegetated lower part of the catchment. Particularly, snowmelt contributes up to 64 ± 8% to spring water in the concave upper parts of the catchment and up to 62 ± 11% to channel runoff in the lower part of the catchment. These results offer new experimental evidences on how Dolomitic catchments capture and store rain water and meltwater, releasing it through a complex network of surface and subsurface flow pathways, and allow for the construction of a preliminary conceptual model on water transmission in snowmelt‐dominated catchments featuring marked elevation gradients.     

Dissimilarity among Ocean Reanalyses in Equatorial Pacific Upper-Ocean Heat Content and Its Relationship with ENSO

This study focuses on the temporal variation of dissimilarity in heat content(HC)anomalies in the upper 300 m of ocean(HC300A)in the equatorial Pacific(±10°N)and its response to the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO).The HC300A anomalies are derived from four ocean reanalyses that are commonly used in ENSO studies and are compared using a simple differencing method.The dissimilarity in HC300A is found to vary closely with the magnitude of ENSO(regardless of phase),meaning that it tends to be greater during strong ENSO events.However,the dissimilarity among ocean reanalyses persists after the event decays.This effect is more pronounced after strong events.The persistence of the dissimilarity after ENSO events is a result of a late maturation of the ENSO signal,its persistence,and the interruption of the signal decay due to follow-up ENSO events.The combined effect of these three factors slows down the decay of HC300A in the region and hence results in the slow decay of dissimilarity.It is also found that areas with a significant spread in vertical temperature profiles collocate with the ENSO signal during warm ENSO phases.Thus,differences in subsurface process reconstruction are a significant factor in the dissimilarity among ocean reanalyses during warm ENSO events.     

Uncertainties in limits on TeV-gravity from neutrino-induced showers

In models with TeV-scale gravity, ultrahigh energy cosmic rays can generate microscopic black holes in the collision with atmospheric and terrestrial nuclei. It has been proposed that stringent bounds on TeV-scale gravity can be obtained from the absence of neutrino cosmic ray showers mediated by black holes. However, uncertainties in the cross section of black hole formation and, most importantly, large uncertainties in the neutrino flux affects these bounds. As long as the cosmic neutrino flux remains unknown, the non-observation of neutrino induced showers implies less stringent limits than present collider limits.     

Interannual variability of wave climate in the Caribbean Sea

Ocean Dynamics - Low-frequency interannual climatic oscillations have been reported to influence the precipitation regimes, river discharges, winds, and sea level in the Caribbean Sea. Here, we...     

Further studies of the temperature dependence of the rate coefficients for the reactions of OH with a series of ethers under simulated atmospheric conditions

The following temperature-dependent rate coefficients (k/cm³ molecule^–1 s^–1) of the reactions of hydroxyl radicals with aliphatic ethers have been determined over the temperature range 247–373 K by a competitive flow technique: diethyl ether,k _OH=5.2×10^–12 exp[(262±150)/T]; methyln-butyl ether,k _OH=5.4×10^–12 exp[(309±150)/T]; ethyln-butyl ether,k _OH=7.3×10^–12 exp[(335±150)/T]; di-n-butyl ether,k _OH=5.5×10^–12 exp[(502±150)/T] and di-n-pentyl ether,k _OH=8.5×10^–12 exp[(417±150)/T]. The data have been measured relative to the rate coefficientk(OH + 2,3-dimethylbutane)=6.2×10^–12 cm³ molecule^–1 s^–1 independent of temperature.Previous discrepancies in the room-temperature rate coefficients for the OH reactions with ethyln-butyl ether and di-n-butyl ether, obtained in the flow and static experiments of Bennett and Kerr (J. Atmos. Chem. 8, 87–94, 1989;10, 29–38, 1990) compared with those of Wallingtonet al. (Int. J. Chem. Kinet. 20, 541–547, 1988;21, 993–1001, 1989) and of Nelsonet al. (Int. J. Chem. Kinet. 22, 1111–1126, 1990) have been resolved. The results are considered in relation to the available literature data and evaluated rate expressions are deduced where possible. The data are also discussed in terms of structure-activity relationships.     

A toxicity identification evaluation of silty marine harbor sediments to characterize persistent and non-persistent constituents

Sediment toxicity in silty marine harbor sediments is frequently dominated by ammonia or sulfide, leaving the adverse effects of persistent toxic substances unnoticed. To investigate the latter, we subjected interstitial water from three contaminated silty sediments to toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) phase I manipulations and tested for toxicity with four bioassays: the amphipod Corophium volutator (survival as an endpoint), the sea urchin Psammechinus miliaris (fertilization, embryo development) and the bacterium Vibrio fischeri (bioluminescence inhibition).The graduated pH manipulations identified the prominent toxicity of ammonia in the amphipod and sea urchin embryo tests, and also sulfide toxicity in the bacterium test. In two of the three samples tested with the amphipods, sea urchin embryos and bacteria, a small but significant reduction in interstitial water toxicity was achieved by removing persistent compounds through C(18) solid phase extraction. EDTA chelation resulted in a slight detoxification of the interstitial water for the amphipods and sea urchin embryos, but this was not related to any measured trace metals. Despite the presence of toxic levels of ammonia and sulfide in the harbor sediments, we established the adverse biological effects of persistent constituents by means of the TIE manipulations and in vivo interstitial water bioassays.     

Seasonal changes of antioxidant and oxidative parameters in the coral Pocillopora capitata on the Pacific coast of Mexico

The physiological responses of the coral Pocillopora capitata to environmental conditions common in winter and summer were studied in 2007 during February–March (winter) and June–July (summer) at La Boquita reef (Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico). Shallow and deep sampling stations were established at different distances from a small jetty built next to the Juluapan Lagoon. We analyzed superoxide radicals () and lipid peroxidants (TBARS); the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST); chlorophyll a (Chl a), zooxanthellae density (ZD); and mycosporine‐like amino acids (MAAs). Our results showed that the , TBARS, CAT, GST, MAAs, and Chl a, levels were significantly higher in summer (P < 0.05); no seasonal difference was found for GPx, GR or ZD. We found significant differences (P < 0.05) in winter only for Chl a and ZD at shallow sites and, in contrast, for at deeper sites. The results of this study indicate that increasing temperature and radiation associated with seasonal changes (from winter to summer), the efficiency of the enzymes GST, CR and GPX, and the production of MAAs together form a powerful mechanism for P. capitata to offset the detrimental effects of environmental change.     

Computations of radial velocities for O-type stars

From the study of the spectra of eighteen O-type stars can be argued that a large Compton redshift is present, that could be due to the scattering of the light of these stars in the surrounding envelopes of interstellar matter. The new values of radial velocities, obtained for the above-quoted stars by means of a formula which takes into account the generalized Compton effect, are inconsistent with the values given in the stellar catalogue.