Differences in SEM-AVS and ERM-ERL predictions of sediment impacts from metals in two US Virgin Islands marinas

Two US Virgin Islands marinas were examined for potential metal impacts by comparing sediment chemistry data with two sediment quality guideline (SQG) values: the ratio of simultaneously extractable metals to acid volatile sulfides (SEM-AVS), and effects range-low and -mean (ERL-ERM) values. ERL-ERMs predicted the marina/boatyard complex (IBY: 2118 microg/g dry weight total metals, two exceeded ERMs) would have greater impacts than the marina with no boatyard (CBM: 231 microg/g dry weight total metals, no ERMs exceeded). The AVS-SEM method predicted IBY would have fewer effects due to high AVS-forming metal sulfide complexes, reducing trace metal bioavailability. These contradictory predictions demonstrate the importance of validating the results of either of these methods with other toxicity measures before making any management or regulatory decisions regarding boating and marina impacts. This is especially important in non-temperate areas where sediment quality guidelines have not been validated.     

Rate of tube building and sediment particle size selection during tube construction by the tanaid crustacean,Leptochelia dubia

In estuaries, organic coatings play an important role in the aggregation of mineral particles. Particles acquire adhesive surfaces through the activities of bacteria and microalgae in the sediment and water column. Eventually, they may become incorporated into larger aggregates and structures, such as tubes, constructed by infaunal benthic animals. Where these structures are large enough, and the adhesive bonds between particles strong enough, individual particles may remain in place at bed shear stresses otherwise strong enough to cause sediment transport. This study examined the aggregation of particles during tube building by the ubiquitous tanaid crustaceanLeptochelia dubia. Particle size selection and rates of tube building were determined as functions of animal size, temperature, and the presence or absence of bacteria and microalgae. These data were used to model seasonal patterns of sediment binding by a population ofL. dubia in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, taking into account seasonal changes in sizes and abundance of animals. Rates of tube building (mass of sediment per day) increased with animal size, but temperature had no effect. The model indicated that the field population ofL. dubia bound sediment into tubes at a gross rate of 350 g m^?2 d^?1, averaged over a 2-yr period. Seasonally, gross rates of tube building were predicted to range from 70 g m^?2 d^?1 (during late winter-early spring) to 600 g m^?2 d^?1 (during autumn). When constructing tubes from sterile sediments, small animals selected silt-sized particles while large animals discriminated against these particles. The presence of microbes in sediments tended to reduce particle selectivity.     

Temporal variability of winter mixed layer in the mid-to high-latitude North Pacific

Temperature and salinity data from 2001 through 2005 from Argo profiling floats have been analyzed to examine the time evolution of the mixed layer depth (MLD) and density in the late fall to early spring in mid to high latitudes of the North Pacific. To examine MLD variations on various time scales from several days to seasonal, relatively small criteria (0.03 kg m⁻³ in density and 0.2°C in temperature) are used to determine MLD. Our analysis emphasizes that maximum MLD in some regions occurs much earlier than expected. We also observe systematic differences in timing between maximum mixed layer depth and density. Specifically, in the formation regions of the Subtropical and Central Mode Waters and in the Bering Sea, where the winter mixed layer is deep, MLD reaches its maximum in late winter (February and March), as expected. In the eastern subarctic North Pacific, however, the shallow, strong, permanent halocline prevents the mixed layer from deepening after early January, resulting in a range of timings of maximum MLD between January and April. In the southern subtropics from 20° to 30°N, where the winter mixed layer is relatively shallow, MLD reaches a maximum even earlier in December–January. In each region, MLD fluctuates on short time scales as it increases from late fall through early winter. Corresponding to this short-term variation, maximum MLD almost always occurs 0 to 100 days earlier than maximum mixed layer density in all regions.     

The incidence and nature of bedload transport during flood flows in coarse-grained alluvial channels

A continuous record reveals that the incidence of bedload in a coarse-grained river channel changes from flood to flood. Long periods of inactivity encourage the channel bed to consolidate sufficiently so that bedload is largely confined to the recession limb of the next flood-wave. But when floods follow each other closely, the bed material is comparatively loose and offers less resistance to entrainment. In this case, substantial amounts of bedload are generated on the rising limb. This is confirmed by values of bed shear stress or stream power at the threshold of initial motion which can be up to five times the overall mean in the case of isolated floods or those which are the first of the season. This produces a complicated relationship between flow parameters and bedload and explains some of the difficulties in establishing bedload rating curves for coarse-grained channels. Besides this, the threshold of initial motion is shown to occur at levels of bed shear stress three times those at the thresholds of final motion. This adds further confusion to attempts at developing predictive bedload equations and clearly indicates at least one reason why equations currently in use are unsatisfactory. Bedload is shown to be characterized by a series of pulses with a mean periodicity of 1.7 hours. In the absence of migrating bedforms, it is speculated that this well-documented pattern reflects the passage of kinematic waves of particles in a slow-moving traction carpet. The general pattern of bedload, including pulsations, is shown to occur more or less synchronously at different points across the stream channel.     

Occurrence of negative epsilon in seismic hazard analysis deaggregation,and its impact on target spectra computation

This paper investigates circumstances behind the occurrence of negative ε (the normalized difference between the spectral acceleration of a recorded ground motion and the median response predicted by a ground motion prediction equation) in probabilistic seismic hazard deaggregation. Negative ε values are of engineering interest because of their impact on the conditional mean spectrum (CMS), which is a proposed alternative to the uniform hazard spectrum (UHS) as a target spectrum for ground motion selection. In the case where target ε values from deaggregation are positive, the CMS calculation produces relatively lower response spectra than the UHS. Positive target ε values occur almost universally in active seismic regions at long return periods of engineering interest, but the possibility of negative target ε values is important because in the case of negative target ε, some relationships between the CMS and UHS would reverse. This paper describes the calculation of target ε, performs parametric studies to determine when negative ε values occur in deaggregation, and investigates the potential impact on target spectrum calculation and ground motion selection. The case studies indicate that special seismicity models and certain ground motion prediction equations have the most significant effect on ε values and a combination of these characteristics in Eastern North America creates the most likely situation for negative target ε to occur. CMS results are nonintuitive when the target ε is negative, but it is not clear that this is a common practical concern because negative target ε occurs only in well‐constrained areas. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.