Dimethylsulfide production in Sargasso Sea eddies

Lagrangian time series of dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentrations from a cyclonic and an anticyclonic eddy in the Sargasso Sea were used in conjunction with measured DMS loss rates and a model of vertical mixing to estimate gross DMS production in the upper 60 m during summer 2004. Loss terms included biological consumption, photolysis, and ventilation to the atmosphere. The time- and depth (0–60 m)-averaged gross DMS production was estimated to be 0.73±0.09 nM d⁻¹ in the cyclonic eddy and 0.90±0.15 nM d⁻¹ in the anticyclonic eddy, with respective DMS replacement times of 5±1 and 6±1 d. The higher estimated rate of gross production and lower measured loss rate constants in the anticyclonic eddy were equally responsible for this eddy's 50% higher DMS inventory (0–60 m). When normalized to chlorophyll and total dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), estimated gross production in the anticyclonic eddy was about twice that in the cyclonic eddy, consistent with the greater fraction of phytoplankton that were DMSP producers in the anticyclonic eddy. Higher rates of gross production were estimated below the mixed layer, contributing to the subsurface DMS maximum found in both eddies. In both eddies, gas exchange, microbial consumption, and photolysis were roughly equal DMS loss terms in the surface mixed layer (0.2–0.4 nM d⁻¹). Vertical mixing was a substantial source of DMS to the surface mixed layer in both eddies (0.2–0.3 nM d⁻¹) owing to the relatively high DMS concentrations below the mixed layer. Estimated net biological DMS production rates (gross production minus microbial consumption) in the mixed layer were substantially lower (by almost a factor of 3) than those estimated in a previous study of the Sargasso Sea, which may explain the relatively low mixed-layer DMS concentrations found here during July 2004 (3 nM) compared to previous summers (4–6 nM).     

Observations of a Radio-Quiet Solar Preflare

The preflare phase of the flare SOL2011-08-09T03:52 is unique in its long duration, in that it was covered by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and the Nobeyama Radioheliograph, and because it showed three well-developed soft X-ray (SXR) peaks. No hard X-rays (HXR) are observed in the preflare phase. Here we report that no associated radio emission at 17 GHz was found either, despite the higher sensitivity of the radio instrument. The ratio between the SXR peaks and the upper limit of the radio peaks is higher by more than one order of magnitude than the ratio in regular flares. The result suggests that the ratio between acceleration and heating in the preflare phase was different than in regular flares. Acceleration to relativistic energies, if any, occurred with lower efficiency.     

Karst in Gypsum and its environmental impact on the Middle Ebro Basin,Spain

The Middle Ebro Basin in characterised by strong evaporitic profiles from the Miocene period, and in which gypsum formations are predominant. These groups of easy solubility produce in many areas typically karstic landforms, although there are certain features specific to them. The generated landforms appear on the surface as different morphological types of doline, which very often develop on the alluvium deposited by the River Ebro and its affluents. On the agricultural land of the Peñaflor-Villamayor area the functional character of karst causes collapse dolines to appear after heavy storms, and these are constantly filled in by farmers. Motorways and roads that cross these areas, as also the industrial estates existing on the outskirts of Zaragoza, are affected by dissolution processes that bring about continual collapses. The infiltration of water from unlined canals causes the generation of numerous dolines along canal banks.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their molecular diagnostic ratios in urban atmospheric respirable particulate matter

Atmospheric concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Santiago de Chile city were evaluated to study particulate PAHs profiles during cold and spring weather periods. Urban atmospheric particulate matter PM10 was collected using High Volume PM10 samplers. Fifteen samples of 24 h during austral winter and 20 samples of 24 h during spring, 2000 were collected at two sampling sites (North–East and Central areas of the city) whose characteristics were representative of the prevailing conditions. Seventeen PAHs were quantified and total PAHs concentration ranged from 1.39 to 59.98 ng m⁻³, with a seasonal variation (winter vs. spring ratio) from 0.5 to 12.6 ng m⁻³. Molecular diagnostic ratios were used to characterize and identify PAHs emission sources such as combustion and biogenic emissions. Results showed that the major sources of respirable organic aerosol PM10 in Santiago are mobile and stationary ones.     

Factors affecting arsenic concentration in groundwaters from Northwestern Chaco-Pampean Plain,Argentina

The concentration of arsenic measured in groundwater from three aquifers in the study area located in the Eastern Tucuman province, Argentina, mostly depends on the lithology, but the spatial and temporal variations of concentrations seem to be also controlled by pH changes, climatic factors, and human perturbations. The highest concentrations of As (more than 1,000 μg L⁻¹) were found in the shallow aquifer, made of As-rich loess, while the lowest concentrations were measured in the deep confined aquifer, consisting of alternating layers of alluvial sands/gravels and clays. Intermediate values were measured in the semiconfined aquifer made of the fluvial sediments deposited in the Salí River valley, that alternate in the upper part of the sedimentary sequence with layers of loess. Because most of As in the loess is considered to be adsorbed onto Fe-oxyhydroxide coatings, the increase of pH in the flow direction (west-east) leads to increasing arsenic concentrations towards the eastern border of the study area. The decomposition of organic wastes poured into the Salí River or associated with local and diffuse sources of contamination in the eastern part of the study area depletes dissolved oxygen, which leads to the reductive dissolution of Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides, and to the subsequent release of the adsorbed and co-precipitated As. This process mainly affects shallow groundwater and the upper part of the semiconfined aquifer. Geochemical and hydrological data also suggest that rising water table levels at the end of the wet season may also lead to reductive dissolution of As-rich Fe oxyhydroxides in the shallow aquifer.     

Ground motion characterization and seismic hazard assessment in Spain: context,problems and recent developments

This article points out some particular features conditioning seismic hazard assessments (SHA) in Spain, a region with low–moderate seismicity. Although sized earthquakes occurred in the past, as evidenced by historical documents and neotectonic studies, no large events occurred during the last decades. The absence of strong motion records corresponding to earthquakes with magnitude larger than 5.5 is an important obstacle for the development of ground motion models constrained by local data, with the consequent difficulty in SHA studies. In this paper, some recent developments aiming at providing solutions to these difficulties are presented. Specifically, a strong motion databank containing a massive collection of accelerograms and response spectra from different configurations source-path-site corresponding to earthquakes all over the world is introduced, together with software utilities for its management. A first application of this databank is the development of specific ground motion models for Spain and for the Mediterranean region that predict peak ground accelerations as a function of several definitions of magnitude, distance and soil class. The predictive power of these ground motion models is tested by contrasting their estimates with recently recorded ground motions. The comparison between our ground-motion models with others proposed in the literature for other areas reveals a regular overestimation of the expected ground motions at Spanish sites by the non-local models. Consequently, SHA studies based in external models may overestimate the predicted hazard at the Iberian sites. In the last part of the paper a method for checking whether the response spectra proposed in the Spanish Building Code (NCSE-02) are consistent with actual accelerometric data from recent low magnitude earthquakes is applied. The spectral shapes of the Spanish Building Code NCSE-02 are compared with the response spectral shapes deduced from the available accelerograms by normalising the response spectra with the recorded PGA. It is appreciated that the NCSE-02 spectral shapes are exceeded by a large number of actual spectral shapes for short periods (around 0.2 s), a result to be taken into account in further revisions of the NCSE-02 code. The issues tackled in this work constitute not only an improvement for ground-motion characterisation in Spain, but also provide guidelines of general interest for potential applications in other regions with similar seismicity.     

Chemical behavior of the Salí River, Province of Tucumán, Argentina

Major ionic composition and other chemical parameters were determined at five sampling stations on the Salí River (Province of Tucumán, Argentina). The heavy human usage of the river causes increased levels of dissolved ions, from the dissolution of halite and gypsum, and from the weathering of basic sediments. Correlations demonstrate that sodium chloride and sulphate, and calcium carbonate are the main contributors to dissolved ions in the river. In the polluted region, south of the Celestino Gelsi dam, the main source of calcium and sulphate is the dissolution of gypsum. Large amounts of halite are also dissolved. Weathering of biotite, K-feldspar and albite are suggested by the data. Conductivity, dissolved oxygen and organic matter all indicate severe contamination by organic matter (mainly from sugar-cane processing) in the lower course. The data also demonstrate a substantial improvement in water quality before the discharge of the river at the Río Hondo dam. Data from the Colorado (a tributary of the Salí River) and Medina rivers are also analyzed and compared.     

Geochemistry of groundwater in the alluvial plain of Tucumán province, Argentina

The Salí River hydrogeological basin is one of the most productive artesian basins in Argentina. It is located in the southeastern part of the province of Tucumán, northwestern Argentina, and its groundwater resources are developed for water supply and irrigation. The chemical composition of the water is strongly influenced by the interaction with the basinal sediments and by hydrologic characteristics such as the flow pattern and time of residence. Three hydrochemical zones are defined in the study area and the processes that control the chemical composition of the water are manifestly different in each zone. The dissolution of halite, sodium sulphate, and gypsum explains part of the contained Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^–, SO₄ ^2–, and Ca²⁺, but other processes, such as cation exchange, calcite precipitation, weathering of aluminosilicates, and gas exchange with the atmosphere, also contribute to the water composition. The assessment of contamination indicators, such as pH, dissolved organic matter, dissolved oxygen, phosphate, and nitrate, indicates that the groundwater is suitable for human consumption. However, biological contamination has been detected in samples from some wells, especially those near the Salí River. Electronic Publication     

Quantification of salt weathering in porous stones using an experimental continuous partial immersion method

In this study, an experimental salt weathering simulation and porous stone durability classification are proposed. There are many laboratory tests that quantify durability against salt crystallisation weathering action. These are usually based on the total immersion of samples into a saline solution, which is not representative of the salt weathering mechanism. An experimental test based on partial immersion is suggested. This is a comparable study of weight loss and degradation of visual appearance due to salt crystallisation using, on the one hand, a standard durability test (UNE), and, on the other, the proposed durability test. The weight loss and visual appearance in our test is comparable to the degradation of building stone. The differences between weight loss data in both tests depend on the petrophysical properties: porous media and degree of coherence.

From this testing, a new durability classification as a function of dry weight loss in the partial immersion test is proposed. Four divisions of different types of materials can be made in this classification, which quantifies salt weathering action mainly in environments and mild climatic conditions.     

An experimental study on active tendon control of cable-stayed bridges

Active tendon control of cable-stayed bridges subject to a vertical sinusoidal force is experimentally and analytically studied. Emphasis is placed on the effects of linear and non-linear internal resonances on the control (due to the presence of the cable vibration). A simple cable-supported cantilever beam is used as a model. It is found that active tendon control is very effective in vertical girder motion with small cable vibration (girder dominated motion), whereas it is not effective in vertical girder motion with large cable vibration (cable dominated motion). Analytical prediction is very satisfactory except for the latter case.