Experimental stream acidification — the influence of sediment and streambed vegetation

An acidification experiment was conducted on a small stream in the Loch Ard area of central Scotland. The stream was chosen because of its large, flow related, variation in pH (5.9-4.0). Two acid additions were made to approximately pH 3.5–3.7. The results indicated a strong correlation between labile aluminium and hydrogen, and a noticeable hysteresis in the response of calcium and hydrogen. It is hypothesised that divalent cation response is a result of ion-exchange mechanisms involving the streambed vegetation, with aluminium release resulting primarily from exchange reactions with streambed sediment stores. Data from a program of stream spot sampling have been analysed in an attempt to elucidate the contribution of different sources of aluminium under different flow conditions. Streambed sources of aluminium contribute significantly under low flow conditions; however, at high flow, additional sources of aluminium must contribute to match observed streamwater chemistry.     

Nutrient mediated stress on the marine communities of a coastal lagoon (Puerto Galera, Philippines)

Puerto Galera Bay is a coastal lagoon with a variety of marine habitats and high species diversity. It is an area in the Phillippines where the growing influence of human activities is affecting the quality of its marine resources. This study examined the distribution and behaviour of nutrients and the physical hydrography of Puerto Galera Bay and determined how its physico-chemical nature affected the condition of biotic components in the bay. The relative importance of the nitrogen and phosphorus signals were used as indicators to implicate the influence of sewage and run-off into the bay. A nutrient pool accumulated in the bay as a result of low flushing rates. The interaction of hydrodynamic forcing with the biota have implications on the phytoplankton production and coral communities in the area.     

Quantification of the amplitude variability of the ground motion in Argostoli,Greece. Variability of linear and non-linear structural response of a single degree of freedom system.

The term “spatial variability of seismic ground motions” denotes the differences in the amplitude and phase content of seismic motions. The effect of such spatial variability on the structural response is still an open issue. In-situ experiments may be helpful in order to answer the questions regarding both the quantification of the spatial variability of the ground motion within the dimensions of a structure as well as the effect on its dynamic response. The goal of the present study is to quantify the variability of the seismic ground motion accelerations in the shallow sedimentary basin of Argostoli, Greece, and thereafter to identify its effect on the linear and non-linear elasto-plastic response of a single degree of freedom system in terms of spectral displacements. Around 400 earthquakes are used, recorded by the 21-element very dense seismological array deployed in Argostoli with inter-station spacing ranging from 5 to 160 meters. The seismic motion variability, evaluated in terms of spectral accelerations, is found to be significant and to increase with inter-station distance and frequency. Thereafter, the amplitude variability in terms of spectral displacements, which is indeed the linear response of a single degree of freedom (SDOF) system with various fundamental periods, is compared with the amplitude variability of a SDOF with non-linear elasto-plastic response. The variability of the maximum top displacement of the linear single degree of freedom system is estimated to be on average 12% with larger variabilities to be observed within two narrow frequency ranges (between 1.5 and 1.7 Hz and between 3 and 4 Hz). Such high variabilities are caused by locally edge-generated diffracted surface waves. The non-linear perfectly elasto-platic structural response of the SDOF system shows that although the variability has the same trends as in the case of linear response, it is almost constantly increased by 5%.     

Short chain ladderanes: Oxic biodegradation products of anammox lipids

Anammox, the microbial anaerobic oxidation of ammonium by nitrite to produce dinitrogen gas, has been recognized as a key process in both the marine and freshwater nitrogen cycles, and found to be a major sink for fixed inorganic nitrogen in the oceans. Ladderane lipids are unique anammox bacterial membrane lipids that have been used as biomarkers for anammox bacteria in recent and past environmental settings. However, the fate of ladderane lipids during diagenesis is as of yet unknown. In this study, we performed oxic degradation experiments (at 20-100 °C) with anammox bacterial biomass to simulate early diagenetic processes occurring in the water column and at the sediment-water interface. Abundances of C₁₈ and C₂₀ ladderane lipids decreased with increasing temperatures, testifying to their labile nature. The most abundant products formed were ladderane lipids with a shorter alkyl side chain (C₁₄ and C₁₆ ladderane fatty acids), which was unambiguously established using two-dimensional NMR techniques on an isolated C₁₄-[3]-ladderane fatty acid. The most pronounced production of these short-chain lipids was at 40 °C, suggesting that degradation of ladderane lipids was microbially mediated, likely through a β-oxidation pathway. An HPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the detection of these ladderane alteration products in environmental samples and positively tested on various sediments. This showed that the ladderanes formed during degradation experiments also naturally occur in the marine environment. Thus, short-chain ladderane lipids may complement the original longer-chain ladderane lipids as suitable biomarkers for the detection of anammox processes in past depositional environments.     

Tidal variability in the water quality of an urbanized estuary

Tide and water quality data were collected concurrently in the Hackensack River estuary (HRE), a tidal tributary of the New York-new Jersey Harbor estuary. Harmonic analyses of tidal elevation data indicate that HRE tides are predominantly semidiurnal, though modulated by diurnal and fortnightly components. Nearly uniform tidal ranges (averaging approximately 1.6 m) were observed at three stations within the HRE. Periodogram estimates reveal significant tidal variability for the water quality parameter NH₄−N under dry-weather conditions. Lag correlation analyses associate NH₄−N concentration variations with water level fluctuations. Longitudinal profile plots for NH₄−N reveal a consistent pattern of tidal translations, with peak concentrations oscillating about a major wastewater discharger. These analyses suggest that the distribution of NH₄−N concentrations in the HRE is controlled primarily by major point source loadings and horizontal advection. A simplified, one-dimensional model is used to describe this distribution. Effects of tidal variability in masking water quality status and waak trends are also analyzed. These analyses highlight the potential importance of short-term water quality variability in tidal estuaries where concentration gradients are large.     

The SHAND quaternary system for evaluating the supersilicic or subsilicic crystal-chemistry of eclogite minerals, and potential new UHPM pyroxene and garnet end-members

Summary The stoichiometry of pyroxenes {^viiiX^{2+ vi}Y^{2+ iv}Z⁴⁺ ₂ O₆} and garnets {^xiiX²⁺ ₃ ^viY³⁺ ₂ ^ivZ⁴⁺ ₃ O₁₂} is re-evaluated by a theoretical crystal-chemical approach that takes into account natural phenomena that do not fit with conventional anhydrous stoichiometric mineralogy: the existence in eclogites of microinclusions of other minerals that may have been exsolved from previous supersilicic or subsilicic UHPM pyroxene or garnet. Different definitions of supersilicic and subsilicic are discussed and the one based on the ability to exsolve SiO₂ and leave behind a stoichiometric pyroxene or garnet is recommended for general adoption. The SHAND system (S = Si et al.; H = H; A = Al et al.; N = Na et al.; D = divalents) for projecting multivariate chemical space involving 23 cations and 104 selected natural or potential mineral species on to two essential diagrams (SAND and SHND) is described in full for the first time. Numerous possible chemical exchanges are considered and justified with respect to known mineral phenomena such as cation vacancies, octahedral silicon or protonation. Several new potential end-members are presented, in particular “supersilipyx”, “supersiligar” and “subsiligar”. It is suggested that small quantities of these end-members can be incorporated into UHPM solid-solutions and lead to various exsolution phenomena during eclogite exhumation.     

The reaction MgCr2O4 + SiO2 = Cr2O3 + MgSiO3 and the free energy of formation of magnesiochromite (MgCr2O4)

Low-temperature heat capacity measurements for MgCr₂O₄ have only been performed down to 52 K, and the commonly quoted third-law entropy at 298 K (106 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹) was obtained by empirical extrapolation of these measurements to 0 K without considering the magnetic or electronic ordering contributions to the entropy. Subsequent magnetic measurements at low temperature reveal that the Néel temperature, at which magnetic ordering of the Cr³⁺ ions in MgCr₂O₄ occurs, is at ∼15 K. Hence a substantial contribution to the entropy of MgCr₂O₄ has been missed. We have determined the position of the near-univariant reaction MgCr₂O₄+SiO₂=MgSiO₃+Cr₂O₃. The reaction, which has a small positive slope in P-T space, has been bracketed at 100 K intervals between 1273 and 1773 K by reversal experiments. The reaction is extremely sluggish, and lengthy run times with a flux (H₂O, BaO-B₂O₃ or K₂O-B₂O₃) are needed to produce tight reversal brackets. The results, combined with assessed thermodynamic data for Cr₂O₃, MgSiO₃ and SiO₂, give the entropy and enthalpy of formation of MgCr₂O₄ spinel. As expected, our experimental results are not in good agreement with the presently available thermodynamic data. We obtain Δ _f H ^∘ ₂₉₈=−1759.2±1.5 kJ mol⁻¹ and S ^∘ ₂₉₈=122.1±1.0 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ for MgCr₂O₄. This entropy is some 16 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ more than the calorimetrically determined value, and implies a value for the magnetic entropy of MgCr₂O₄ consistent with an effective spin quantum number (S') for Cr³⁺ of 1/2 rather than the theoretical 3/2, indicating, as in other spinels, spin quenching. Received: 9 May 1997 / Accepted: 28 July 1997     

On the link between GPS pseudorange noise and day-boundary discontinuities in geodetic time transfer solutions

When neglecting calibration issues, the accuracy of GPS-based time and frequency transfer using a combined analysis of code and carrier phase measurements highly depends on the noise of the GPS codes. In particular, the pseudorange noise is responsible for day-boundary discontinuities which can reach more than 1 ns in the time transfer results obtained from geodetic analysis. These discontinuities are caused by the fact that the data are analyzed in daily data batches where the absolute clock offset is determined by the mean code value during the daily data batch. This pseudorange noise is not a white noise, in particular due to multipath and variations of instrumental delays. In this paper, the pseudorange noise behavior is characterized in order to improve the understanding of the origin of the large day-boundary discontinuities in the geodetic time transfer results. In a first step, the effect of short-term noise and multipath is estimated, and shown to be responsible for only a maximum of 150 ps (picoseconds) of the day-boundary jumps, with only one exception at NRC1 where the correction provides a jump reduction of 300 ps. In a second step, a combination of time transfer results obtained with pseudoranges only and geodetic time transfer results is used to characterize the long-term evolution of pseudorange errors. It demonstrates that the day-boundary jumps, especially those of large amplitude, can be explained by an instrumental effect imposing a common behavior on all the satellite pseudoranges. Using known influences as temperature variations at ALGO or cable damages at HOB2, it is shown that the approach developed in this study can be used to look for the origin of the day-boundary discontinuities in other stations.     

A mathematical programming approach for scheduling equipment in a surface coal mining operation

Summary A mathematical programming model for scheduling open pit mining was developed and validated using data from a surface mining operation. A two-phase solution procedure was used involving repeated evaluations of an integer scheduling model and a simple transportation model.     

Evacuation behaviour of households and drivers during a tornado

With increasing concerns over the possibility of tornadoes in highly populated areas in Canada, emergency managers are looking into ways to mitigate the impacts of tornadoes. Given that tornadoes can cause enormous destruction, early warnings and proper evacuation actions are critically important in helping save lives. In this paper, a survey was conducted to analyse the evacuation behaviour of households and drivers during a hypothetical tornado warning situation in the city of Calgary, Alberta. Nearly 500 Calgarians took part in the online survey and provided information on how they would respond to tornado warnings after receiving them. This paper presents the results of the survey. Using probit models, the factors influencing these evacuation decisions are identified and discussed in detail. The results of the household evacuation model show the importance of improving awareness about the safest locations during a tornado. It further highlights the need for targeting the population under the age of 30, who are more likely to take unsafe evacuation actions. The model for evacuation of drivers shows that several factors, such as knowing the difference between a watch and a warning, awareness of safe cover, receipt of warnings through natural environmental cues and the level of education, trigger evacuation actions in avoiding a tornado threat.