Isotopic and element exchange during serpentinization and metasomatism at the Atlantis Massif (MAR 30°N): Insights from B and Sr isotope data

The Lost City hydrothermal system at the southern Atlantis Massif (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 30°N) provides a natural laboratory for studying serpentinization processes, the temporal evolution of ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems, and alteration conditions during formation and emplacement of an oceanic core complex. Here we present B, O, and Sr isotope data to investigate fluid/rock interaction and mass transfer during detachment faulting and exhumation of lithospheric sequences within the Atlantis Massif. Our data indicate that extensive serpentinization was a seawater-dominated process that occurred predominately at temperatures of 150-250 °C and at high integrated W/R ratios that led to a marked boron enrichment (34-91 ppm). Boron removal from seawater during serpentinization is positively correlated with changes in δ¹¹B (11-16‰) but shows no correlation with O-isotope composition. Modeling indicates that B concentrations and isotope values of the serpentinites are controlled by transient temperature-pH conditions. In contrast to prior studies, we conclude that low-temperature marine weathering processes are insignificant for boron geochemistry of the Atlantis Massif serpentinites. Talc- and amphibole-rich fault rocks formed within a zone of detachment faulting at temperatures of approximately 270-350 °C and at low W/R ratios. Talc formation in ultramafic domains in the massif was subsequent to an early stage of serpentinization and was controlled by the access of Si-rich fluids derived through seawater-gabbro interactions. Replacement of serpentine by talc resulted in boron loss and significant lowering of δ¹¹B values (9-10‰), which we model as the product of progressive extraction of boron. Our study provides new constraints on the boron geochemical cycle at oceanic spreading ridges and suggests that serpentinization associated with ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems may have important implications for the behavior of boron in subduction zone settings.     

Temporal and spatial dynamics of urea uptake and regeneration rates and concentrations in Chesapeake Bay

We examined the temporal and spatial variability of urea concentrations and urea uptake and regeneration rates collected on cruises along the longitudinal axis of the Chesapeake Bay between 1972 and 1998. Interannually, mean Bay-wide surface urea concentrations ranged between 0.49 and 0.91 μg-at N l^?1 with a nearly 50% decrease in surface concentrations observed between 1988 and 1998. Concentrations of urea from samples collected within ～1 m of the bottom were generally higher and much more varable than surface samples. Seasonally, two different patterns were observed in mean Bay-wide surface urea concentrations. Urea concentrations from near surface waters exhibited a clear summer peak for 1988 through 1994, while for 1973 and 1996 to 1998 a distinct winter-spring peak in concentration was observed. Urea concentrations from deeper waters showed a similar seasonal trend each year with peak concentrations measured in spring. Spatially, urea concentrations in the surface waters decreased in a conservative-type pattern from 0.91 μg-at N I^?1 at the freshwater end member to 0.46 μg-at N I^?1 at the ocean end member. Mean Bay-wide surface urea uptake rates displayed a seasonal pattern throughout the data set with maximum uptake rates (up to 0.33 μg-at N I^?1 h^?1) consistently observed during summer. Mean Bay-wide surface regeneration rates were highest but most variable during fall (1.63±0.82 μg-at N I^?1 h^?1). Mean urea uptake and regeneration rates displayed opposing spatial trends along the axis of the Bay with uptake rates being lowest in the North Bay where regeneration rates were highest. The average temporal and spatial patterns of urea concentration in Chesapeake Bay appear to reflect a balance between external inputs and internal biological recycling.     

Connectivity Among Salt Marsh Subhabitats: Residency and Movements of the Mummichog (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fundulus heteroclitus</Emphasis>)

We examined connectivity among marsh subhabitats to determine the structural limits and important components of a polyhaline salt marsh by studying the patterns of abundance, residency, and movement of a numerically and ecologically dominant nektonic fish (mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus). We captured, tagged (n = 14,040 individuals, 30–110 mm), and recaptured from Feb 2001 to Jul 2002, although most recaptures (75–95% by tagging location) occurred within 150 days. Seasonal residency and movements were common among most subhabitats based on catch per unit effort and recapture per unit effort. Thus, these (marsh pools, intertidal and subtidal creeks, and marsh surface) should be considered natural subhabitats within New England type salt marshes. Further, all these subhabitat types should be included in studies of salt marsh nekton and marsh restoration and creation activities.     

Up Against the Law: Legal Structuring of Political Opportunities in Neighborhood Opposition to Group Home Siting in Massachusetts

Abstract

Conflicts over siting of group homes for people transitioning out of homelessness or struggling with addiction illustrate the multiscalar dynamics at play between locally-based activism and supra-local laws. In Massachusetts, the state-scale legal environment limits the effectiveness of opposition to group housing; nonetheless, such opposition occurs at the municipal level. Drawing on media accounts, official documents, and interviews with stakeholders in conflicts over group home siting in Worcester, Massachusetts, I investigate the dynamics between neighborhood place claims, the responses of the local state, and the state-wide laws governing group home siting. Examining the legal frameworks relevant to social movement grievances demonstrate that law structures the political opportunities available for protest and local government response.     

Analysis and simulated diagenesis of kerogen in a Recent bottom mud from Mono Lake,California: a comparison with selected ancient kerogens

The insoluble organic matter, or kerogen, in a Recent bottom mud (<1000yr old) from Mono Lake, California, has been analyzed by vacuum pyrolysis-GC-MS and compared with the kerogen from several Precambrian rocks, including the Belingwe and Transvaal stromatolites. The Mono Lake kerogen consists mainly of cyclic and acyclic aliphatic components with lesser amounts of aromatics present. It is less aromatic and more susceptible to thermal degradation than the Precambrian kerogens, and its products show a much greater diversity especially among the unsaturated aliphatics and the heteroatomic components. The presence of these compounds, most notably 2,5-dimethylfuran, in the Mono Lake kerogen indicates a relatively rapid formation and incorporation into a young kerogen and suggests that their presence in the Precambrian kerogens, such as the Belingwe stromatolite, may be consistent with an ancient biological origin.In simulated diagenesis experiments the Recent mud was heated at 150°C for 3 months or 225°C for 8 months. The former was insufficient to affect the kerogen pyrolysis products. The latter, however, caused a large decrease in the heteroatomic components and a slight increase in the abundance of n-alkanes relative to that of the cyclic and branched alkanes. This suggests that the presence of some of these components in Precambrian rocks should be consistent with a high degree of preservation of these rocks, as appears to be the case for the Belingwe and Transvaal stromatolites.     

A Regionally Based Energy End‐Use Strategy: Case Studies from Centre County,Pennsylvania*

The production and use of fossil fuels and nonrenewable electricity creates many forms of environmental degradation. To reduce degradation, this research suggests an energy strategy based on energy end‐use analysis and regional geography. Energy end‐use analysis and regional geography are used to match renewable energy resources with site‐specific, end‐use needs. Fieldwork conducted within Centre County, Pennsylvania, demonstrates that small‐scale solar, wind, and micro‐hydropower resources could displace a proportion of household electricity use. Such an approach meets energy end‐use needs, while conserving fossil fuels and reducing environmental degradation.     

Mixing Methods in Fertility Research

Fertility research in population geography is rooted in a spatial demography tradition which places emphasis on the use of quantitative methodologies to analyse, model and project fertility. As data sources have become more sophisticated and abundant some have questioned whether research within the discipline is now too data-oriented resulting in a reluctance to embrace new methods and concepts. Alternative conceptualisations of fertility and reproduction are outlined which represent a shift away from general explanation to more differentiated understandings of reproductive behaviour and favour the use of qualitative methodologies in combination or in a multi-level framework. The paper illustrates, with reference to a research project in the Kalahari of Botswana, the potential for methodological pluralism in the study of fertility.     

“Placing” Interviews: Location and Scales of Power in Qualitative Research

For qualitative researchers, selecting appropriate sites in which to conduct interviews may seem to be a relatively simple research design issue. In fact it is a complicated decision with wide‐reaching implications. In this paper, we argue that the interview site itself embodies and constitutes multiple scales of spatial relations and meaning, which construct the power and positionality of participants in relation to the people, places, and interactions discussed in the interview. We illustrate how observation and analysis of interview sites can offer new insights with respect to research questions, help researchers understand and interpret interview material, and highlight particular ethical considerations that researchers need to address.     

Comparison of precipitation and land runoff as sources of estuarine nitrogen

The seasonal and year-to-year variation of bulk precipitation as a source of total N, nitrate and ammonia is reported for a 7-year period at the Rhode River, a subestuary of Chesapeake Bay, U.S.A. These values are placed in perspective by comparison with analogous nitrogen loading due to watershed discharges.Although year-to-year variations were important, in an average year about the same amount of readily available nitrogen entered the system via precipitation as entered in land runoff and, during the summer and fall, precipitation was the largest source.