Influence of dissolved organic carbon on photochemically mediated cycling of hydrogen peroxide in rainwater

The influence of sunlight and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on the photochemically mediated cycling of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was investigated in rainwater samples collected in Wilmington, North Carolina USA. Upon exposure to simulated sunlight 14 of 19 authentic rainwater samples exhibited significant decreases in H₂O₂. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide did not change significantly in organic-free synthetic rainwater spiked with H₂O₂ in the light or in dark controls suggesting that the loss was not due to direct photolysis or dark mediated reactions. There was a significant correlation between pseudo-first order rate constants of H₂O₂ decay and initial H₂O₂ concentrations. There was also a significant correlation between the rate constant and the abundance of DOC suggesting that rainwater organic carbon plays an important role during photolytic decay either via direct reaction or indirectly through production of peroxide reactive species or scavenging of peroxide generating radicals. Several rain samples exhibited an initial increase in H₂O₂ during the first 2 h of irradiation. These increases were generally small and most likely do not represent a significant input of peroxide in precipitation. The photo-induced destruction of H₂O₂ is important because it may partly explain the late afternoon decrease of peroxide concentrations observed in earlier field studies and the substantial under saturation (<10%) of this oxidant in rainwater compared with gas phase concentrations.     

Citation analysis for the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

This paper presents the results of a 2008 citation-analysis study that was undertaken for the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its associated instruments. The overall objective of this study was to contribute towards a strategy for improved dissemination, awareness raising and communication about the Code and its implementation. For each citation, additional information was collected to identify patterns by year, topic, author affiliation or type of literature. Results support previously suggested anecdotal patterns, in particular related to the diversity of publishing outlets and the high proportion of fisheries information published as grey literature. The results also point to areas of concern for long-term preservation and dissemination of fisheries information.     

Evaluating prey capture by larval mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) as a potential biomarker for contaminants

We evaluated larval prey capture as a "behavioral biomarker" of contamination by examining feeding behavior of larval mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) from many different sites, including a severely contaminated "Superfund" site, moderately contaminated sites, and reference areas. Prey capture ability was related to sediment contaminant levels. The levels of contaminants at a site were highly correlated with each other, so that the impact of individual contaminants was confounded. The number of captures of brine shrimp by mummichog larvae from all sites was highly variable, but significant negative correlations of prey capture were seen with mercury, lead, zinc, cadmium, and PCBs. As observed previously with adults, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) did not appear to impair prey capture ability. The only site in which prey capture rates of 8-day old larvae were severely affected was the most highly contaminated Superfund site, Berry's Creek, NJ. This implies that larval prey capture is not as sensitive a behavioral biomarker for contamination as adult behavior studied previously.     

The effect of pressure on the solubility of amorphous silica in seawater at 0°C

The solubility of amorphous silica in seawater at 0°C and from 1 to 1,220 atm. was found to be a linear function of pressure above 270 atm., but to deviate from linearity below that pressure. Using a quadratic derivation of Planck's equation, ΔV for the dissolution was found to be −16.5 cm³mole⁻¹, and Δk was found to be −4.4 · 10⁻² cm³ mole⁻¹ atm⁻¹∂Δk/∂P was found to be 27.2 · 10⁻⁵ cm³ mole⁻¹ atm⁻² which is too significant a factor to allow the commonly made assumption that ∂Δk/∂P =0. North's (1973) model of hydration suggests that this non-zero ∂Δk/∂P may indicate that the silicic acid molecule is more extensively hydrated at lower pressures.If the pressure in an experiment is suddenly lowered to atmospheric pressure after equilibrium solubility had been attained at the higher pressure, the precipitation that occurs to reduce the resulting supersaturation is complete within one hour in the experimental system used in this study.     

A synoptic parameterization of the drag coefficient

Abstract

The problem areas affecting the evaluation of hail suppression experiments are reviewed. These include the hail sensors and networks, trop damage data, statistical analysis, the hail‐suppression hypothesis, and the technology of cloud seeding. General directions of needed research are proposed.     

Phase distribution of hydrocarbons in the water column after a pelagic deep ocean oil spill

Spills from wrecks are a potential major source of pollution in the deep ocean. However, not much is known about the fate of a spill at several kilometers depth, beyond the oceans continental shelves. Here, we report the phase distribution of hydrocarbons released from the wrecks of the Prestige tanker, several years after it sank in November 2002 to depths between 3500 and 3800 m. The released oil reached the surface waters above the wrecks without any signs of weathering and leaving an homogenous signature throughout the water column. At depths of several kilometers below the sea surface, the occurrence and spread of the deep sea oil spill could be evaluated better by quantifying and characterizing the dissolved hydrocarbon signature, rather than just the investigation of hydrocarbons in the suspended particulate matter.     

Geochronology of Quaternary glaciations from the tropical Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru

The Cordillera Huayhuash in the central Peruvian Andes (10.3°S, 76.9°W) is an ideal mountain range in which to study regional climate through variations in paleoglacier extents. The range trends nearly north-south with modern glaciers confined to peaks >4800 m a.s.l. Geomorphology and geochronology in the nearby Cordillera Blanca and Junin Plain reveal that the Peruvian Andes preserve a detailed record of tropical glaciation. Here, we use ASTER imagery, aerial photographs, and GPS to map and date glacial features in both the western and eastern drainages of the Cordillera Huayhuash. We have used in situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be concentrations in quartz bearing erratics on moraine crests and ice-polished bedrock surfaces to develop an exposure age chronology for Pleistocene glaciation within the range. We have also collected sediment cores from moraine-dammed lakes and bogs to provide limiting ¹⁴C ages for glacial deposits. In contrast to the ranges to the north and south, most glacial features within the Cordillera Huayhuash are Lateglacial in age, however we have identified features with ages that span 0.2 to 38 ka with moraine sets marking the onset of glacier retreat at 0.3 ka, 9–10 ka, 13–14 ka, 20–22 ka, and >26 ka. The range displays a pronounced east-west variation in maximum down-valley distance from the headwall of moraine crests with considerably longer paleoglaciers in the eastern drainages. Importantly, Lateglacial paleoglaciers reached a terminal elevation of 4000 m a.s.l. on both sides of the Cordillera Huayhuash; suggesting that temperature may have been a dominant factor in controlling the maximum glacier extent. We suggest that valley morphology, specifically valley slope, strongly influences down-valley distance to the maximum glacier extent and potential for moraine preservation. While regionally there is an extensive record of older (>50 ka) advances to the north (Cordillera Blanca) and to the south (Junin region), the apparent lack of old moraines in this locality may be explained by the confined morphology of the Cordillera Huayhuash valleys that has inhibited the preservation of older glacial geomorphic features.     

Geology,fluid inclusion and sulphur isotope characteristics of the El Cobre VHMS deposit,Southern Cuba

The El Cobre deposit is located in eastern Cuba within the volcanosedimentary sequence of the Sierra Maestra Paleogene arc. The deposit is hosted by tholeiitic basalts, andesites and tuffs and comprises thick stratiform barite and anhydrite bodies, three stratabound disseminated up to massive sulphide bodies produced by silicification and sulphidation of limestones or sulphates, an anhydrite stockwork and a siliceous stockwork, grading downwards to quartz veins. Sulphides are mainly pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite; gold occurs in the stratabound ores. Fluid inclusions measured in sphalerite, quartz, anhydrite and calcite show salinities between 2.3 and 5.7 wt% NaCl eq. and homogenisation temperatures between 177 and 300°C. Sulphides from the stratabound mineralisation display δ ³⁴S values of 0‰ to +6.0‰, whilst those from the feeder zone lie between −1.4‰ and +7.3‰. Sulphides show an intra-grain sulphur isotope zonation of about 2‰; usually, δ ³⁴S values increase towards the rims. Sulphate sulphur has δ ³⁴S in the range of +17‰ to +21‰, except two samples with values of +5.9‰ and +7.7‰. Sulphur isotope data indicate that the thermochemical reduction of sulphate from a hydrothermal fluid of seawater origin was the main source of sulphide sulphur and that most of the sulphates precipitated by heating of seawater. The structure of the deposit, mineralogy, fluid inclusion and isotope data suggest that the deposit formed from seawater-derived fluids with probably minor supply of magmatic fluids.     

The feeding and diet of the deep-sea shrimp Aristeus antennatus off the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean): Influence of environmental factors and relationship with the biological cycle

Spatio-temporal variation of feeding intensity and diet in the red shrimp Aristeus antennatus was studied at two locations around the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterraean) in August, September, and November 2003, and in February, April and June 2004 at depths between 550 and 750 m. The two areas, with different oceanographic conditions, were respectively located in the northwest (Sóller) and the south (Cabrera) of Mallorca. Off Sóller, feeding intensity of A. antennatus showed a significant increase from February to April and June 2004 in all the three size-classes studied (small shrimps: CL < 30 mm; medium: CL between 30 and 40 mm; large: CL ? 40 mm). Off Cabrera, the highest fullness was recorded in November 2003 among small and medium shrimp, while only large specimens showed patterns similar to that found off Sóller. Off Sóller, the diet of both small (CL < 34 mm) and large (CL ? 34 mm) A. antennatus was mainly influenced by season, with three dietary groups corresponding to August-September 2003, to November 2003/February 2004, and to hauls from April to June 2004. Off Cabrera, hauls (representing diets) were grouped by depth, never by season. The most remarkable seasonal shift in the diet of A. antennatus off Sóller was the increase of mesopelagic prey in April-June relative to other months. In all size categories there was an increase off Sóller in the energy intake of prey ingested from February to June 2004, an increase not found off Cabrera. Degree of digestion of mesopelagic prey indicated nocturnal feeding on mesopelagic fauna. These prey probably have a shallower depth distribution at night than found in our daylight sampling, and possible migratory movements among prey and A. antennatus at night would explain the lack of correlation between prey abundance in guts and in the environment found during daylight periods for most micronekton mesopelagic prey (euphausiids, myctophids and sergestids). Off Sóller, fullness and diet were significantly linked to temporal changes in water column productivity (e.g., Chl a readings, fluorescence) and to changes in the shrimp biology (lipid content of hepatopancreas, Gonado-somatic Index, GSI). Off Cabrera, we found a higher dependence of fullness and diet with T and S, both variables in turn related to depth. The increase of stomach fullness and dietary energy intake in pre-reproductive females from February to April-June 2004 found off Sóller, coupled with the consumption of mesopelagic prey, was parallel to a significant increase of the gonad weight (GSI, fecundity) in June. Most individuals attain gonad development in the period May-June, after two months of the peak of primary production at the surface. The strong link found between pelagic resources and reproductive processes in a deep-sea species such as the shrimp Aristeus antennatus, situated near the top of the trophic web, suggests a rapid energy flow via mesopelagic fauna between surface primary production and bathyal megabenthic communities at oligotrophic insular areas. In contrast to mainland areas off the Catalan coasts submitted to the influence of submarine canyons, around the island of Mallorca the empoverishment of benthos biomass may enhance consumption of micronektonic prey and a possible accumulation of pre-reproductive females of A. antennatus in areas (e.g., steep slopes and persistent frontal systems found off Sóller) with high zooplankton aggregations.