Respiration and Calcification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea gigas</Emphasis>: Contribution of an Intertidal Invasive Species to Coastal Ecosystem CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Fluxes

Respiration and calcification rates of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas were measured in a laboratory experiment in the air and underwater, accounting for seasonal variations and individual size, to estimate the effects of this exotic species on annual carbon budgets in the Bay of Brest, France. Respiration and calcification rates changed significantly with season and size. Mean underwater respiration rates, deducted from changes in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), were 11.4 μmol DIC g⁻¹ ash-free dry weight (AFDW) h⁻¹ (standard deviation (SD), 4.6) and 32.3 μmol DIC g⁻¹ AFDW h⁻¹ (SD 4.1) for adults (80–110 mm shell length) and juveniles (30–60 mm), respectively. The mean daily contribution of C. gigas underwater respiration (with 14 h per day of immersion on average) to DIC averaged over the Bay of Brest population was 7.0 mmol DIC m⁻² day⁻¹ (SD 8.1). Mean aerial CO₂ respiration rate, estimated using an infrared gas analyzer, was 0.7 μmol CO₂ g⁻¹ AFDW h⁻¹ (SD 0.1) for adults and 1.1 μmol CO₂ g⁻¹ AFDW h⁻¹ (SD 0.2) for juveniles, corresponding to a mean daily contribution of 0.4 mmol CO₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ (SD 0.50) averaged over the Bay of Brest population (with 10 h per day of emersion on average). Mean CaCO₃ uptake rates for adults and juveniles were 4.5 μmol CaCO₃ g⁻¹ AFDW h⁻¹ (SD 1.7) and 46.9 μmol CaCO₃ g⁻¹ AFDW h⁻¹ (SD 29.2), respectively. The mean daily contribution of net calcification in the Bay of Brest C. gigas population to CO₂ fluxes during immersion was estimated to be 2.5 mmol CO₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ (SD 2.9). Total carbon release by this C. gigas population was 39 g C m⁻² year⁻¹ and reached 334 g C m⁻² year⁻¹ for densely colonized areas with relative contributions by underwater respiration, net calcification, and aerial respiration of 71%, 25%, and 4%, respectively. These observations emphasize the substantial influence of this invasive species on the carbon cycle, including biogenic carbonate production, in coastal ecosystems.     

阿尔泰造山带富蕴基性麻粒岩折返过程:来自裂变径迹热年代学的限定

论文在阿尔泰造山带富蕴县乌恰沟基性麻粒岩的锆石SHRIMP年代学、地球化学、变质温压条件和形成的大地构造背景研究基础上,利用麻粒岩、围岩片麻岩和侵入到麻粒岩的辉绿岩岩墙的裂变径迹热年代学探讨了麻粒岩从深部折返至地表的过程。裂变径迹年代学研究发现基性麻粒岩的锆石裂变径迹年龄为三叠纪,而麻粒岩、围岩片麻岩和侵入到麻粒岩的辉绿岩岩墙的磷灰石裂变径迹年龄均显示为晚白垩世至新生代早期。对磷灰石裂变径迹测试所得到的径迹长度和单颗粒年龄数据进行热史模拟表明,三叠纪时,基性麻粒岩抬升至约地表以下7.8km的上地壳,温度冷却至锆石裂变径迹的封闭温度;晚白垩世至新生代早期(约100～50Ma),麻粒岩、围岩片麻岩和辉绿岩抬升至约地表以下3.5km,温度冷却至磷灰石裂变径迹的封闭温度;约50～15Ma,三者滞留在约地表以下1.7km的磷灰石部分退火带;约15Ma以来,喜马拉雅运动使得它们被抬升剥蚀至地表。     

Biocalcification in the Eastern Oyster (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea virginica)</Emphasis> in Relation to Long-term Trends in Chesapeake Bay pH

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduce pH of marine waters due to the absorption of atmospheric CO₂ and formation of carbonic acid. Estuarine waters are more susceptible to acidification because they are subject to multiple acid sources and are less buffered than marine waters. Consequently, estuarine shell forming species may experience acidification sooner than marine species although the tolerance of estuarine calcifiers to pH changes is poorly understood. We analyzed 23 years of Chesapeake Bay water quality monitoring data and found that daytime average pH significantly decreased across polyhaline waters although pH has not significantly changed across mesohaline waters. In some tributaries that once supported large oyster populations, pH is increasing. Current average conditions within some tributaries however correspond to values that we found in laboratory studies to reduce oyster biocalcification rates or resulted in net shell dissolution. Calcification rates of juvenile eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, were measured in laboratory studies in a three-way factorial design with 3 pH levels, two salinities, and two temperatures. Biocalcification declined significantly with a reduction of ∼0.5 pH units and higher temperature and salinity mitigated the decrease in biocalcification.     

The response of fishes to submerged aquatic vegetation complexity in two ecoregions of the mid-Atlantic bight: Buzzards Bay and Chesapeake Bay

Estuarine seagrass ecosystems provide important habitat for fish and invertebrates and changes in these systems may alter their ability to support fish. The response of fish assemblages to alteration of eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystems in two ecoregions of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (Buzzards Bay and Chesapeake Bay) was evaluated by sampling historical eelgrass sites that currently span a broad range of stress and habitat quality. In two widely separated ecoregions with very different fish faunas, degradation and loss of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitat has lead to declines in fish standing stock and species richness. The abundance, biomass, and species richness of the fish assemblage were significantly higher at sites that have high levels of eelgrass habitat complexity (biomass >100 wet g m^?2; density <100 shotts m^?2) compared to sites that have reduced eelgrass (biomass <100 wet g m^?2; density <100 shoots m^?2) or that have completely lost eelgrass. Abundance, biomass, and species richness at reduced eelgrass complexity sites also were more variable than at high eelgrass complexity habitats. Low SAV complexity sites had higher proportions of pelagic species that are not dependent on benthic habitat structure for feeding or refuge. Most species had greater abundance and were found more frequently at sites that have eelgrass. The replacement of SAV habitats by benthic macroalgae, which occurred in Buzzards Bay but not Chesapeake Bay, did not provide an equivalent habitat to seagrass. Nutrient enrichment-related degradation of eelgrass habitat has diminished the overall capacity of estuaries to support fish populations.     

Modelling combined open channel flow by artificial neural networks

Combined open channel flow is encountered in many hydraulic engineering structures and processes, such as irrigation ditches and wastewater treatment facilities. Extensive experimental studies have conducted to investigate combined flow characteristics. Nevertheless, there is no simple relationship that can fully describe the velocity profiles in a turbulent flow. The artificial neural network (ANN) has great computational capability for solving various complex problems, such as function approximation. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the ANN for simulating velocity profiles, velocity contours and estimating the discharges accordingly. The velocity profiles measured by an acoustic doppler velocimeter in the open channel of the Chihtan purification plant, Taipei, with different discharges at fixed measuring section and different depths are presented. The total number of data sets is 640 and the data sets are split into two subsets, i.e. training and validation sets. The backpropagation algorithm is used to construct the neural network. The results demonstrate that the velocity profiles can be modelled by the ANN, and the ANN constructed can nicely fit the velocity profiles and can precisely predict the discharges for the conditions investigated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The context of Beijing's commercial network —an empirical study on the central place model

The objective of this article is to expound the evolution of Beijing's commercial distribution and put the basic facts on the central place model in order to review the past, look upon the present, and predict the future. In terms of the central place theory, the spatial structures and deformations of Beijing's commercial activities are fully discussed, the inherent mechanism on the locational shifts of centers is revealed, and a centripetal zoning concerned with metropolitan commercial system is put forward. Having analyzed the factors of trade and transportation allocation and utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods, the author works out a long-term central place scheme for Beijing's commercial network with a supercenter, Xidan, and other centers of different ranks.Many thanks to Mr. Yang Qi, Ms. Zhou Yu and Ms. Li Xiangming whose map-making, calculating and typing add luster to this article.     

Miocene shallow-water limestones from São Nicolau (Cabo Verde): Caribbean-type benthic fauna and time constraints for volcanism

Shallow-water limestones of presumed Late Cretaceous and Eocene age, interbedded with basaltic lavas, were described by earlier authors from São Nicolau in the northwestern part of the Cabo Verde archipelago. If confirmed, these ages would imply late Mesozoic shallow-marine and subaerial volcanic activity in the Cabo Verde archipelago, and document a geological history very different from that known so far from other Cabo Verde Islands, from which no subaerial volcanic activity before the mid-Cenozoic is known. Our re-investigation of the foraminiferal fauna indicates a Late Miocene age for the presumed Late Cretaceous and Eocene limestones. The hypothesis of a long-lived hot spot, active by the Early Cretaceous, and of a major island-building stage in the Cabo Verde Islands during this period, is therefore not supported by the present bio- or chronostratigraphic data.     

对山西应县木塔采用纳米复合纤维加固的建议

山西应县木塔是古人留给我们的稀世珍宝，如何妥善地保护好这一珍贵的遗产，使之在加固时尽量保持原有的风貌，是一项复杂而艰巨的任务。根据长期的研究成果和实际工作的经验，提出了用纳米复合纤维加固应县木塔的建议，介绍了纳米复合纤维材料的特点，分析讨论了加固时的一些具体技术问题。