Sedimentation rates and heavy metals in a macrotidal salt marsh: Bay of Fundy,Canada

Macrotidal salt marshes play an important role in sedimentary processes in estuaries and can act as a sink for fine sediments and contaminants. This study examines sedimentation rates and the history of heavy metal accumulation in the Allen Creek salt marsh in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Pb-210 and Cs-137 measurements and accelerated mass spectrometer (AMS) dating indicate a sedimentation rate of about 1.1 cm/year, which is consistent with independent observations. Elevated normalized concentrations of As in the upper section of the deposit may reflect an increase in organic matter content while a consistent decrease in Mn toward the surface of the section may be due to a decrease in natural supply. A peak in metal concentrations in the early to mid twentieth century is attributed to inputs from local foundries.     

Evaluation of EO-1 hyperion data for agricultural applications

The present study was carried out to evaluate the satellite-based hyperspectral data available from Hyperion onboard EO-1 of NASA for agricultural applications. The study was carried out for Daurala block of Meerut district, using data of March 2005. The preliminary data analysis showed that there are 196 usable bands out of a total of 242 bands. Principal component (PC) analysis showed that about 99% of the information explained in 10 PCs. The atmospherically corrected reflectance, derived from satellite data had good agreement with the ground reflectance, observed using handheld spectroradiometer, with r² ranging from 0.85 to 0.98. A set of twenty most usable bands was selected by the criteria of maximum contribution to first five PCs and the band combinations with least inter-band correlations.     

Regional magma plumbing and emplacement mechanisms of the Faroe‐Shetland Sill Complex: implications for magma transport and petroleum systems within sedimentary basins

The movement of magma through the shallow crust and the impact of subsurface sill complexes on the hydrocarbon systems of prospective sedimentary basins has long been an area of interest and debate. Based on 3D seismic reflection and well data, we present a regional analysis of the emplacement and magmatic plumbing system of the Palaeogene Faroe‐Shetland Sill Complex (FSSC), which is intruded into the Mesozoic and Cenozoic sequences of the Faroe‐Shetland Basin (FSB). Identification of magma flow directions through detailed seismic interpretation of approximately 100 sills indicates that the main magma input zones into the FSB were controlled primarily by the NE–SW basin structure that compartmentalise the FSB into its constituent sub‐basins. An analysis of well data shows that potentially up to 88% of sills in the FSSC are <40 m in thickness, and thus below the vertical resolution limit of seismic data at depths at which most sills occur. This resolution limitation suggests that caution needs to be exercised when interpreting magmatic systems from seismic data alone, as a large amount of intrusive material could potentially be missed. The interaction of the FSSC with the petroleum systems of the FSB is not well understood. Given the close association between the FSSC and potential petroleum migration routes into some of the oil/gas fields (e.g. Tormore), the role the intrusions may have played in compartmentalisation of basin fill needs to be taken fully into account to further unlock the future petroleum potential of the FSB.     

Enclosure experiments on survival and growth of black drum eggs and larvae in lower Chesapeake Bay

Experiments in 2.2 m³, in situ mesocosm enclosures indicate that black drum, Pogonias cromis, eggs and larvae potentially can survive in the lower Chesapeake Bay at ambient microzooplankton prey levels (≈200 prey 1^?1) in the absence of predators. In growth experiments, larva mean growth rates to 10 d posthatch were similar (0.17 mm d^?1 and 0.18 mm d^?1) when fed at prey levels of 50 prey 1^?1 and 200 prey 1^?1. Individual growth rates, however, were more variable at 50 prey 1^?1. Mortality rates also were comparable in 50 (27% d^?1) and 200 (23% d^?1) prey 1^?1 enclosures. In a second experiment, the predation potentials of the hydromedusa Nemopsis bachei and the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi were estimated in relation to initial black drum egg prey density, presence of alternative <1 mm zooplankton prey, and estimated daily abundance of the jellyfish on the black drum spawning grounds. Mortality rates per medusa and ctenophore were similar (0.02–0.03 d^?1), were not affected by presence of alternative prey, and were directly related to initial egg density. Results suggest that the gelatinous predators, especially the hydromedusa, could have cleared a high (≈38%) but variable fraction of the water column daily of fish eggs and yolk-sac larvae during the black drum spawning season. We hypothesize that the poor or episodic recruitment success of black drum in Chesapeake Bay results from a short spawning season that often coincides with abundance peaks of gelatinous predators and that predation on eggs and yolk-sac larvae may control recruitment.     

On Measurements of the Tide at Churchill,Hudson Bay

Since the late 1990s the semi-diurnal tide at Churchill, on the western shore of Hudson Bay, has been decreasing in amplitude, with M₂ amplitudes falling from approximately 154?cm in 1998 to 146?cm in 2012 and 142?cm in 2014. There has been a corresponding small increase in phase lag. Mean low water, decreasing throughout most of the twentieth century, has levelled off. Although the tidal changes could reflect merely a malfunctioning tide gauge, the fact that there are no other measurements in the region and the possibility that the tide is revealing important environmental changes calls for serious investigation. Satellite altimeter measurements of the tide in Hudson Bay are complicated by the seasonal ice cover; at most locations less than 40% of satellite passes return valid ocean heights and even those can be impacted by errors from sea ice. Because the combined TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and Jason-2 time series is more than 23 years long, it is now possible to obtain sufficient data at crossover locations near Churchill to search for tidal changes. The satellites sense no changes in M₂ that are comparable to the changes seen at the Churchill gauge. The changes appear to be localized to the harbour, or to the Churchill River, or to the gauge itself.     

Implications of Jupiter's early contraction history for the composition of the Galilean satellites

Graboske et al. (1973) have shown that Jupiter's luminosity was orders of magnitude larger during its initial contraction phase than it is today. As a result, during Jupiter's earliest contraction history, ices would have preferentially been prevented from condensing within the region containing the orbits of the inner satellites. The observed variation of the mean density of the Galilean satellites with distance from Jupiter implies that the satellite formation process was operative on a time scale of about five million years. Another consequence of the high luminosity phase is that water should be the only ice present in significant proportions in any of the Galilean satellites.     

Zu den beziehungen für den fluktuativen und mittleren Wassertransport in der Atmosphäre

Zusammenfassung Die Gleichungen für den mikro- und makroturbulenten Austausch und Transport von Wasser in gasförmiger, flüssiger und fester Form werden unter Benutzung abgewogener Augenblicks- und Mittelwerte des Geschwindigkeitsvektors dargestellt. Fragwürdigkeiten bei der Behandlung des bodennahen Wasserdampfaustausches nach dem Vorgang vonWilh. Schmidt und einige Probleme bei der Ermittlung von Verdunstung minus Niederschlag größerer Gebiete aus dem atmosphärischen Wassertransport werden erörtet.

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Summary The equations concerning the micro- and macroturbulent «austausch» and transport of water in its three phases are represented by using weighted vectors of instantaneous and average velocities. Usual defects in treating the eddy diffusion of water vapour next to the bottom by applying the theory ofWilhelm Schmidt are discussed as well as some problems in the estimation of evaporation minus precipitation of large areas from the transport of water in the atmosphere.