Historical pollution variability from abandoned mine sites,Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area,New South Wales,Australia

Core and surface sediments from the Tonalli River, a tributary of the artificial lake, Lake Burragorang, in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia, were studied to evaluate the spatio-temporal distribution of pollutants from the Yerranderie silver-lead-zinc mine site, abandoned in the late 1920s. A sediment core was collected in the mouth of the Tonalli River, at its junction with Lake Burragorang, and surface sediment samples were collected in the Tonalli River and its tributaries. The concentrations of Pb, As, Zn, Cu, Cd, Hg and Ag in the sediments were determined by ICP-MS and ICP-AES techniques. Temporal variability of metal concentrations was established through ²¹⁰Pb dating of the core sediments and compared with published historical records, rainfall records and bushfire data. Metal concentrations in core sediments showed an overall increase around the year 1950 as well as increases coincident with heavy rainfall. Spatially, metal concentrations were up to 400 times the guideline limit around mine sites but decreased rapidly with distance downstream of the mines.     

Maximum-likelihood estimation of unsaturated hydraulic parameters

Maximum-likelihood estimators properly represent measurement error, thus provide a statistically sound basis for evaluating the adequacy of a model fit and for finding the multivariate parameter confidence region. We demonstrate the advantages of using maximum-likelihood estimators rather than simple least-squares estimators for the problem of finding unsaturated hydraulic parameters. Inversion of outflow data given independent retention data can be treated by an extension to a Bayesian estimator. As an example, we apply the methodology to retention and transient unsaturated outflow observations, both obtained on the same medium sand sample. We found the van Genuchten expression to be adequate for the retention data, as the best fit was within measurement error. The Cramer–Rao confidence bound described the true parameter uncertainty approximately. The Mualem–van Genuchten expression was, however, inadequate for our outflow observations, suggesting that the parameters (, n) may not always be equivalent in describing both retention and unsaturated conductivity.     

In situ measurements of sound velocities and densities across the orthopyroxene → high-pressure clinopyroxene transition in MgSiO3 at high pressure

Using acoustic measurement interfaced with a large volume multi-anvil apparatus in conjunction with in situ X-radiation techniques, we are able to measure the density and elastic wave velocities (V_P and V_S) for both ortho- and high-pressure clino-MgSiO₃ polymorphs in the same experimental run. The elastic bulk and shear moduli of the unquenchable high-pressure clinoenstatite phase were measured within its stability field for the first time. The measured density contrast associated with the phase transition OEN → HP-CEN is 2.6-2.9% in the pressure of 7-9 GPa, and the corresponding velocity jumps are 3-4% for P waves and 5-6% for S waves. The elastic moduli of the HP-CEN phase are K_S=156.7(8) GPa, G = 98.5(4) GPa and their pressure derivatives are K_S′=5.5(3) and G′ = 1.5(1) at a pressure of 6.5 GPa, room temperature. In addition, we observed anomalous elastic behavior in orthoenstatite at pressure above 9 GPa at room temperature. Both elastic wave velocities exhibited softening between 9 and 13-14 GPa, which we suggest is associated with a transition to a metastable phase intermediate between OEN and HP-CEN.     

Sorption of Iron on Surfaces: Modelling,Data Evaluation,and Measurement Uncertainty

Assessment of the likely outcome of engineered invention strategies in acid mine drainage often involves complex geochemical modelling activities. Geochemical modelling is based on chemical thermodynamic data. In addition sorption models, kinetical reaction rates and transport tools are included into the modelling codes because the interactions between solution components and surfaces, reaction time and transport are considered important features characterising the site‐specific situation. In the determination of both thermodynamic data and sorption coefficients, speciation calculations play an important role. By applying the probabilistic speciation code Ljungskile to some simplified acid mine drainage scenarios, the strong impact of chemical speciation on the complete measurement uncertainty budget of geochemical modelling predictions is shown. The complete measurement uncertainty budget in combination with other metrological concepts like traceability is an essential element of quality assurance for experimental data. The elements of quality assurance are provided by international agreements and normative documents on national and international levels. The following discussion will focus on some metrological issues of sorption data.     

Social Attitudes Predict Biases in Geographic Knowledge*

Three principal components were found to underlie Texas university students' experiences with and attitudes toward Canada, the United States, and Mexico: diversity orientation, Mexican experiences, and Canadian experiences. Diversity orientation included positive attitudes toward Hispanics, Canadians, minorities, interethnic friendships, and dating and was negatively correlated with natio‐centrism (e.g., believing U.S. citizens receive the world's best education). Diversity orientation and natio‐centrism were not related to experiences with Mexico or Canada. Students estimated the locations of Canadian cities too far north and Mexican cities too far south. Biased estimates for Mexican cities were negatively correlated with diversity orientation, not experience with Mexico.     

Coupled Os–Os enrichments in the Earth’s mantle – core–mantle interaction or recycling of ferromanganese crusts and nodules?

¹⁸⁶Os enrichments in volcanic rocks and peridotite-derived iridosmine grains have been attributed to contributions from Earth’s outer core to the mantle, and apparently constrain the scale of mantle convection and an early timing for inner–outer core segregation more than 3.5 Gyr ago. Here, we highlight that marine ferromanganese crusts and nodules are characterised by high Pt/Os ratios and Pt–Os contents that develop much larger ¹⁸⁶Os excesses over geological time (≥0.2%/Gyr) than those hypothesised for Earth’s outer core (<0.005–0.01%/Gyr). ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios in ferromanganese crusts are radiogenic due to sequestering of continental Os from seawater. Similarly, ancient ferromanganese materials may have had ¹⁸⁶Os excesses (>0.1%) as a result of high Pt/Os ratios in continental crust, even prior to in-growth of ¹⁸⁶Os after formation due to their high Pt/Os ratios. Past recycling of small amounts of these materials into the Earth’s mantle will produce coupled ¹⁸⁷Os–¹⁸⁶Os excesses and little change in Re and platinum-group-element concentrations, as observed in Hawaiian picrites, and in contrast to the predicted result of outer core addition to the mantle. ¹⁸⁷Os and ¹⁸⁶Os enrichments in the Hawaiian mantle source are potentially consistent with it comprising recycled oceanic lithosphere, pelagic sediments and ferromanganese materials, and questions the notion that Os isotopes can be used to uniquely identify core–mantle interactions and the depth at which mantle sources for volcanism originate.     

Business and Bludgeon at the Border: A transnational political economy of human displacement in Thailand and Burma

Transnational economic integration between Thailand and Burma is intimately linked to protection for Burmese refugees in Thailand. In the case of Burmese nationals who seek safety in Thailand, their protection becomes more negotiable as economic integration with Thailand proceeds. Since 1988, hundreds of thousands of Burmese citizens have fled beyond the borders of their state, fearing both human rights abuses and successive offensives by a military junta intent on its own survival. Critical analysis of the dynamic of human displacement and bi-national economic cooperation between the governments of Thailand Burma grounds this study. The story is one of transnational trade across one border, where people's labour, homes, and passports are exchanged – in an obscured fashion – for investment, natural resources, and economic cooperation. The Thai-Burmese border proves to be a flexible concept that can be invoked to produce refugees or blurred to promote binational economic infrastructure and trade. Despite economic booms and busts in Southeast Asia, economic integration in the region is on-going. At the same time, Burma's government – the State Peace and Development Council – and its military force more and more citizens into neighbouring countries. Their reception in Thailand, however, is increasingly chilly. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Reconstructing the historical changes in Daphnia mean size and planktivorous fish abundance in lakes from the size of Daphnia ephippia in the sediment

The zooplankton community structure in lakes is highly influenced by size-selective predation by fish, with small zooplankton species dominating at high predation pressure. Remains of cladocerans are preserved in the sediment and may be used to trace historical changes in fish predation. We determined how contemporary data on planktivorous fish were related to the size of Daphnia ephippia (dorsal length) in the surface sediment (0-1 cm) of 52 mainly shallow lakes with contrasting densities of fish and nutrients (TP: 0.002-0.60 mg P l^-1). Density of fish expressed as catch per unit effort, in terms of numbers in multiple mesh-sized gill nets (CPUE_n), decreased significantly with increasing mean size of ephippia. The relationship was improved by adding TP as an independent variable, now explaining 90% of the variation in CPUE_n on the full data set covering lakes in Denmark, Greenland and New Zealand, and 78% if only data on Danish lakes were used. CPUE by weight of planktivorous fish and mean weight of Daphnia in the pelagial during summer were also related to ephippial size. By including contemporary data on established relationships between the sizes of egg-bearing female Daphnia and ephippia, we inferred changes in the CPUE_n, mean size of ephippia-bearing Daphnia and summer mean body weight of Daphnia from ephippial size in four lakes during the past 1-2 centuries. In a hypertrophic lake subject to periodic fish kills, Daphnia mean body weight was high and CPUE_n was low compared with those in two eutrophic lakes, while CPUE_n was low and Daphnia body weight was high in the least eutrophic, clearwater lake. Estimated CPUE_n and Daphnia mean weight in the surface sediment of these four lakes corresponded well with contemporary data. Only small changes in ephippial size with time were observed in the clearwater lake and in one of the lakes that had suffered early eutrophication, while major changes occurred in the two other lakes that had been subjected to a major increase in nutrient input or fish kills. We conclude that Daphnia ephippia preserved in the surface sediments of lakes may be a useful and efficient method to quantify the present-day abundance of planktivorous fish and Daphnia mean size. The method is particularly valid in surveys aimed to give a general picture of the fish stock and the ecological state in a set of lakes in a region rather than a precise estimate for a single lake. Though some evidence is provided, more work is needed to evaluate whether the equations are valid for hind-casting in down-core palaeoecological studies.     

Sexual productivity and spring intramarsh distribution of a key salt-marsh microbial secondary producer

Phaeosphaeria spartinicola is known to be an important fungal (ascomycetous) secondary producer in the smooth-cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) decomposition system of western Atlantic salt marshes, yet its degree of predominance among the ascomycete assemblages of salt marshes and the concentration of its sexual reproductive structures (ascomata) have been largely unknown. During May–June, we measured by direct microscopy the percent occupancy of leaf abaxial area and concentrations of ascomata in leaf blades of smooth cordgrass at three elevations in three drainage systems within the marshes of Sapelo Island, Georgia, United States. We also measured in water-saturation chambers the rates at which the ascomata expelled ascopoores (sexual propagules) out of decaying leaves from marsh sites containing or not containing shredder gastropods.P. spartinicola ascomata were found at averages of 36% to 93% of grid-circles (3-mm radius) on decaying leaf blades, with lower values at points directly adjacent to the leaf sheath, on leaves at earlier stages of decay, and at elevational subsites where shredder snails were more active. Marsh elevation had no effect of its own on percent occupation. No other species of ascomycetes were found at overall avarage frequencies greater than 3%. Average concentration of ascomata along the intervascular rows where they were located was 1 ascoma per 0.5 mm row (～1000 cm^?2 abaxial leaf surface, translating to production of 1.6×10⁷ ascomata m^?2 intermediate-height marsh per standing crop of living stems). The fraction of total fungal production allocated to ascomata is speculatively and crudely estimated at about 9%, without taking into account potential loss to invertebrate shredders. At sites with abundances of snails >-50 m^?2 peaks of ascospore expulsion (about 50–75 spores cm^?2 leaf h^?1, 3–5× the overall average rate) observed at snail-free sites were absent. Our measured rate of ascospore expulsion (averaged over snail-free and high-snail sites, and possibly an underestimate) translated to 6.5×10⁴ spores m^?2 marsh h^?1 for times of freshwater saturation of leaves, and one-third that value for times of saltwater wetting.