Flow Adjustments Across Sea-Surface Temperature Changes

The adjustment of airflow across sea-surface temperature changes is examinedusing aircraft eddy-correlation data. Major features of the observed flow adjustmentare not included in the theory of internal boundary layers. However, the data samplesize and coverage are not sufficient to accurately quantify the additional influences.With flow from warm water over cooler water, substantial turbulence intermittentlydevelops above the newly formed surface inversion layer. The corresponding,spatially-averaged, downward momentum flux is stronger than that close to the surface.With stably stratified flow over modest increases of sea-surface temperature, areduction of stratification can trigger episodic shear generation of turbulence. Inthese cases, the primary role of increasing surface temperature in the downwinddirection is to induce shear generation of turbulence. With larger increases ofsurface temperature, upward heat flux generates turbulence, warms the air and generates a significant horizontal gradient of hydrostatic pressure. This contributionto the pressure field appears to strongly modify the flow. Major inadequacies inexisting data and future needs are noted.     

History of carbonate ion concentration over the last 100 million years

Instead of having been more or less constant, as once assumed, it is now apparent that the major ion chemistry of the oceans has varied substantially over time. For instance, independent lines of evidence suggest that calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺]) has approximately halved and magnesium concentration ([Mg²⁺]) approximately doubled over the last 100 million years. On the other hand, the calcite compensation depth, and hence the CaCO₃ saturation, has varied little over the last 100 My as documented in deep sea sediments. We combine these pieces of evidence to develop a proxy for seawater carbonate ion concentration ([CO₃²⁻]) over this period of time. From the calcite saturation state (which is proportional to the product of [Ca²⁺] times [CO₃²⁻], but also affected by [Mg²⁺]), we can calculate seawater [CO₃²⁻]. Our results show that [CO₃²⁻] has nearly quadrupled since the Cretaceous. Furthermore, by combining our [CO₃²⁻] proxy with other carbonate system proxies, we provide calculations of the entire seawater carbonate system and atmospheric CO₂. Based on this, reconstructed atmospheric CO₂ is relatively low in the Miocene but high in the Eocene. Finally, we make a strong case that seawater pH has increased over the last 100 My.     

Habitat requirements for submerged aquatic vegetation in Chesapeake Bay: Water quality, light regime, and physical-chemical factors

We developed an algorithm for calculating habitat suitability for seagrasses and related submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) at coastal sites where monitoring data are available for five water quality variables that govern light availability at the leaf surface. We developed independent estimates of the minimum light required for SAV survival both as a percentage of surface light passing though the water column to the depth of SAV growth (PLW _min) and as a percentage of light reaching reaching leaves through the epiphyte layer (PLL _min). Value were computed by applying, as inputs to this algorithm, statistically dervived values for water quality variables that correspond to thresholds for SAV presence in Chesapeake Bay. These estimates ofPLW _min andPLL _min compared well with the values established from a literature review. Calcultations account for tidal range, and total light attenuation is partitioned into water column and epiphyte contributions. Water column attenuation is further partitioned into effects of chlorophylla (chla), total suspended solids (TSS) and other substances. We used this algorithm to predict potential SAV presence throughout the Bay where calculated light available at plant leaves exceededPLL _min. Predictions closely matched results of aerial photographic monitoring surveys of SAV distribution. Correspondence between predictions and observations was particularly strong in the mesohaline and polythaline regions, which contain 75–80% of all potential SAV sites in this estuary. The method also allows for independent assessment of effects of physical and chemical factors other than light in limiting SAV growth and survival. Although this algorithm was developed with data from Chesapeake Bay, its general structure allows it to be calibrated and used as a quantitative tool for applying water quality data to define suitability of specific sites as habitats for SAV survival in diverse coastal environments worldwide.     

Can the nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes of the pygmy mussel,Xenostrobus securis, indicate catchment disturbance for estuaries in northern New South Wales, Australia?

The nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C) of the pygmy mussel,Xenostrobus securis, were determined for three estuaries with varying levels of catchment disturbance in northern New South Wales, Australia. The lower Manning River catchment supported the highest human population densities with 3% residential development and some livestock agriculture (41%); the Wallamba River catchment was mostly livestock agriculture (56%) while the Wallingat River catchment was mostly vegetated (79%). Mussels, estuarine particulate organic matter (POM), and livestock and human-derived waste were collected in two stages during the austral summers of 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 for dual carbon-nitrogen stable isotope analysis. The disturbed Manning and Wallamba River catchment mussels were enriched in¹⁵N by an average of 3.2‰ and 1.5‰, respectively, compared to the vegetated Wallingat River mussels. Mussel δ¹³C values ranged from −24.8‰ to −30.3‰ and showed an estuarine gradient becoming enriched with distance downstream within estuaries, but were unable to distinguish patterns in catchment disturbance between estuaries. The δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values of POM showed a similar pattern to mussels, indicating a direct link between them within each estuary. A multiple regression model of mussel δ¹⁵N using the fractions of land used for livestock agriculture and residential development within 5 km zones from river networks to a distance equivalent to a tidal ellipse from sites explained 67% of the variation in mussel δ¹⁵N with 95% of the differences lying within 1.6‰ of observed values. Increasing fractions of land used for livestock agriculture depleted mussel δ¹⁵N values estimated by the regression equation, indicating the use of cow manure as a nutrient source with a value of 2.0‰. Increasing fractions of land used for residential development enriched estimated mussel δ¹⁵N, indicating the use of human-derived waste with a value of 20.8‰. Pygmy mussels are a useful long-term bio-indicator for the effects of anthropogenic catchment disturbance and nutrient enrichment in estuaries.     

Direct observation of heavy metal-mineral association from the Clark Fork River Superfund Complex: Implications for metal transport and bioavailability

Two sets of samples from riverbeds and adjacent floodplains, separated by 80 river kilometers, were collected from the Clark Fork River Superfund Complex, Montana, (the largest Superfund site in the United States), and studied primarily with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with several supporting techniques to determine heavy metal-mineral association. Seven of the eight samples studied were strongly influenced by material that once resided in mining and smelting dumps and impoundments; this material was transported downstream sometime during the last century and a half from the Butte/Anaconda areas. The eighth sample was from a deeper floodplain level and dates to premining days. The TEM observations afford a direct look, down to the nanometer level, at secondary mineral formation as a result of the breakdown of sulfides and silicates in the acid environment of this massive mine-drainage system. In the shallow, oxic floodplain sediments, heavy metals of concern in this system (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn) are taken up by the formation of sulfates (particularly Pb in jarosite), as well as hydrous metal oxides (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn in and on ferrihydrite, and a possibly new vernadite-like mineral). The oxides are long-lived in these systems, as they were also found in the anoxic riverbeds. Metals are also taken up by the formation of sulfides in sulfate-reducing environments as observed in the formation of nanoclusters of chalcopyrite and sphalerite. In all samples, clays make up between 5 and 20% of the sediment and carry significant amounts of Cu and Zn. The hydrous oxides, secondary sulfides, and clays provide several routes for metal transport downstream over long distances. Besides the potential bioavailability of heavy metals exchanged on and off the hydrous metal oxides and clays, nanometer-sized sulfides may also be highly reactive in the presence of biologic systems.     

Borehole image analysis of the Nankai Accretionary Wedge, ODP Leg 196: Structural and stress studies

Electrical images recorded with Resistivity-At-Bit (RAB) from two sites drilled during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 196 were analyzed to study the effects of subduction at the Nankai margin. For the first time in the history of scientific deep-sea drilling in ODP, in situ complete borehole images of the décollement zone were obtained. Analyses of all drilling-induced fracture data indicated that the maximum horizontal compressive stress (S_Hmax) axes have an azimuth of 303°, and analyses of breakout data from RAB images indicated an azimuth of 310°. These azimuths approximate the convergence direction of the Philippine Sea plate towards the Eurasian plate. The frontal thrust at Site 808 was encountered at about 389 mbsf. Density, porosity, resistivity, and gamma ray data change across the frontal thrust. The décollement zone at the deformation front was identified between 937 and 965 mbsf. The base of the décollement is sharply defined as the maximum extent of conductive fracturing and is marked by abrupt changes in physical properties [Mikada, H., Becker, K., Moore, J.C., Klaus, A., Austin, G.L., Bangs, N.L., Bourlange, S., Broilliard, J., Brückmann, W., Corn, E.R., Davis, E.E., Flemings, P.B., Goldberg, D.B., Gulick, S.S., Hansen, M.B., Hayward, N., Hills, D.J., Hunze, S., Ienaga, M., Ishiguro, H., Kinoshita, M., Macdonald, R.D., McNeill, L., Obana, S., Hong, O.S., Peacock, S., Pettigrew, T.L., Saito, S., Sawa, T., Thaiprasert, N., Tobin, H.J., Tsurumi, H., 2002. Proc. ODP, Initial Rep., 196, College Station, TX, (Ocean Drilling Program)]. The upper boundary of the décollement is marked by several sets of conductive fractures and by high variability in physical properties. The décollement zone is characterized by intense brittle fracturing. These fractures are considered to be the consequence of cyclic stresses and high fluid pressures in this zone. We analyzed fracture dips and their orientations at both sites and found that they are all consistent with a unique stress field model surrounding the two sites.