Acute toxicity of bis(tributyltin) oxide to a marine copepod

A static renewal toxicity test was conducted to evaluate the response of the copepod Acartia tonsa to bis(tributyltin) oxide (TBTO), the active compound of recently developed antifouling paints. Copepods were individually placed in test tubes containing 4 ml of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.7 or 3.0 μg l^?1 TBTO with acetone and seawater. Thirty copepods were used for each treatment and control condition and all solutions were renewed daily. The 96-h LC₅₀ was 1.0 μg l^?1 with a 95% confidence interval between 0.8 and 1.2 μg l^?1 TBTO. The 144-h EC₅₀ was 0.4 μg l^?1 TBTO which approaches concentrations recently measured in San Diego Bay. Some copepods exposed to 0.3 μg l^?1 TBTO became moribund after six days.     

Approximation of interfacial properties in multiphase porous medium systems

We investigate the estimation of interfacial areas, curvatures, and common curve lengths in multiphase porous medium systems. Algorithms are developed to obtain estimates of these quantities based upon a variety of potential data sources and estimation approaches. The accuracy of the derived approximations are evaluated as a function of the data type and resolution of the data. The methods advanced improve upon standard approaches now in use and show excellent accuracy at resolutions on the order of five lattice points per minimum radius of curvature of the object being resolved. Finally, we suggest a promising class of extensions that could lead to further improvements in the accuracy of such methods.     

Characterization of the Structure of River-Bed Gravels Using Two-Dimensional Fractal Analysis

This paper is concerned with the application of fractal analysis to understand the structure of water-worked gravel-bed river surfaces. High resolution digital elevation models, acquired using digital photogrammetric methods, allowed the application of two-dimensional fractal methods. Previous gravel-bed river studies have been based upon sampled profiles and hence one-dimensional fractal characterisation. After basic testing that bed elevation increments are Gaussian, the paper uses two-dimensional variogram surfaces to derive directionally dependent estimates of fractal dimension. The results identify mixed fractal behavior with two characteristic fractal bands, one associated with the subgrain scale and one associated with the grain scale. The subgrain scale characteristics were isotropic and sensitive to decisions made during the data collection process. Thus, it was difficult to differentiate whether these characteristics were real facets of the surfaces studied. The second band was anisotropic and not sensitive to data collection issues. Fractal dimensions were greater in the downstream direction than in other directions suggesting that the effects of water working are to alter the level of surface organisation, by increasing surface irregularity and hence roughness. This is an important observation as it means that water-worked surfaces may have a distinct anisotropic signal, revealed when using a fractal type analysis.     

Thermal convection in a cylindrical annulus with a non-Newtonian outer surface

This study presents the results of numerical simulations of a model for lithospheremantle coupling in a terrestrial type planet. To first order, a geologically active terrestrial type planet may consist of a metallic core, silicate mantle and lithosphere, with the lithosphere being rheologically different from the mantle. Therefore we have developed a numerical model consisting of a thin non-Newtonian fluid hoop that is dynamically coupled to a thick Newtonian fluid cylindrical annulus. Thus the rheological dichotomy between mantle and lithosphere is built into the model. Time-dependent calculations show the existence of at least two regimes of behaviors. In one regime, the behavior of the hoop switches between periods characterized by low or high speeds, in response to changes in convective vigor and planform. This regime may apply to the planet Venus where the available evidence indicates that prior to 500 myr ago, the planet was resurfaced on a time scale of <100 myr. Since that time, large-scale tectonic activity on Venus has been sharply curtailed. In the other regime, which is more like plate tectonics on Earth, the hoop speeds rise and fall on short time scales.     

The impact of the hexos programme

In HEXOS, a programme of coordinated laboratory, field and model studies, an international group of participants has extended the range of measurements of evaporation from the sea and has investigated the role of droplets in the transfer of water to the atmosphere. Predictions of a rapid rise in the evaporation coefficient at wind speeds above 15 m s^-1 have not been substantiated. Wind stress measurements showed a relationship with wave age. New methods were developed for coping with flow distortion.     

The use of dual channel circular-polarization radar observations for remotely sensing storm electrification

Summary Observations of thunderstorms with a dual channel circularpolarization radar have provided dramatic indications of the buildup of the electric field inside the storms and of the sudden collapse of the field at the time of lightning. The indications are obtained by coherently correlating the simultaneous returns in the right- and left-hand circular polarization channels of the radar, and follow up on the pioneering observations of this type by Hendry and McCormick (1976). The correlation is estimated and displayed in real time and the results enable one to predict when a storm has the potential for producing a lightning discharge, and often to anticipate the occurrence of individual discharges. The observations detect the presence of electrically aligned particles, believed to be small ice crystals, which are aligned by the electrostatic field of the storm. The aligned particles cause the radar signal to become progressively depolarized as it propagates through an alignment region, giving rise to correlated right- and left-circular polarization echoes. The alignment direction can be determined from the phase of the correlation and is found to be predominantly vertical, indicating a similar electric field orientation. Weaker horizontal alignment is often observed immediately following lightning discharges, consistent with the idea that the aligned particles are ice platelets which fall with horizontal orientation due to aerodynamic forces. The observations have been found to reveal the onset of strong electrification in developing storms and to indicate when decaying storms no longer have the potential to produce lightning. By compensating for signal-to-noise effects, the variation of the depolarization with range can be determined. This provides detailed pictures of the alignment regions which could be used as tracers of ice crystal populations in storms. The pictures also show the spatial variation of the alignment directions, raising the possibility of remotely mapping the storm electric field structure. Finally, the depolarization rate results readily enable one to distinguish between liquid and solid precipitation in the storms.With 7 Figures     

Spatial and temporal variability in the lower food web of the tidal freshwater Hudson River

The mid Hudson River is a heterotrophic system where allochthonous inputs apparently fuel the largest proportion of secondary production and ecosystem metabolism. We have analyzed a 6-yr dataset collected quarterly at six stations spanning a 150-km reach to assess variability at inter- and intra-annual time scales and regional spatial scales. The major components of the lower food web: bacterial biomass, detrital particulate organic carbon (POC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), show surprisingly discordant patterns in temporal and spatial variability. Bacterial abundance shows significant variability at all three scales, but the interannual variability is by far the greatest. DOC concentrations showed greatest variability among years, with intra-annual and spatial variability roughly equal. Freshwater flow is commonly considered a major driving force in river-estuarine variability but simple discharge was not a strong predictor of any component of suspended matter or DOC. For organisms in the Hudson River food web, these multiple scales of variability indicate highly unpredictable food resources in time and space, and these fluctuations may contribute to the variability in higher trophic levels.     

Petrographic prediction of coking properties for the Curragh coals of Australia

Curragh Queensland Mining Limited, Australia, produces a high quality medium volatile bituminous coking coal from the Orion, Pollux and Castor seams from the upper Permian Rangal Coal Measures. It is one of the lowest ash, prime hard coking coal blends produced in Australia. It is also low in sulfur and produces very strong coke when carbonized alone and in blends. Early attempts to predict coking properties of the coals from petrographic data produced predicted coke stabilities that were significantly lower than those determined from coke tests. There is some question as to how much of the ‘inertinite’ in these and other southern hemisphere coals is truly inert during carbonization and how much is reactive. The current study characterized the Curragh coals in terms of physical, chemical and petrographic characteristics and also involved the production of test oven cokes for characterization and strength testing. As part of the work effort a series of suggested techniques for improving predictions of coke strength from petrographic data were examined and a new and improved technique was developed for the Curragh coals. How broadly the technique can be applied to other coals needs to be determined.