Picoplankton: Contribution to Phytoplankton Production in the Strait of Messina*

Abstract. Biomass and primary production rates derived from photosynthesis-light curves on picoplankton (< 1 um fraction) and total phytoplankton were compared for the Strait of Messina. Picoplankton biomass ranged between 0.063 and 0.094 mg Chi a m^-5 and accounted for 56–63 % of the total. Total primary production rates were between 0.22 and 1.56 mg C-m^-2-h^-1 of which the picoplankton contribution ranged from 24 to 43%. In this turbulent nearshore environment, the contribution of picoplankton to total phytoplankton production is considerably less than in calmer open-ocean waters. Carbon assimilation numbers (Pm^b), the initial slope (a), adaptation parameter (I_k), optimal irradiance (I_m) and compensation intensity (L_m,) for the picoplankton were lower than for the > 1 μm fraction. Fitted respiration (Rm^B) for the picoplankton was, however, on the average higher (10.3 % of Pm^B) than for the > 1 μrn fraction (6.6 %). Assimilation numbers for the > 1 μm fraction in the southern stations were of higher magnitude (8.5–12.0 mg C mg Chi a^-1 h^-1) than in the northern station, possibly due to the impact of upwelled water flowing southward along the Sicilian coast.     

Hydrochemical and isotopic tracing of mixing dynamics and water quality evolution under pumping conditions in the mine shaft of the abandoned Frances Colliery, Scotland

Since 1995, when pumps were withdrawn from deep mines in East Fife (Scotland), mine waters have been rebounding throughout the coalfield. Recently, it has become necessary to pump and treat these waters to prevent their uncontrolled emergence at the surface. However, even relatively shallow pumping to surface treatment lagoons of the initially chemically-stratified mine water from a shaft in the coastal Frances Colliery during two dynamic step-drawdown tests to establish the hydraulic characteristics of the system resulted in rapid breakdown of the stratification within 24 h and a poor pumped water quality with high dissolved Fe loading. Further, data are presented here of hydrochemical and isotopic sampling of the extended pump testing lasting up to several weeks. The use in particular of the environmental isotopes δ¹⁸O, δ²H, δ³⁴S, ³H, ¹³C and ¹⁴C alongside hydrochemical and hydraulic pump test data allowed characterisation of the Frances system dynamics, mixing patterns and water quality sources feeding into this mineshaft under continuously pumped conditions. The pumped water quality reflects three significant components of mixing: shallow freshwater, seawater, and leakage from the surface treatment lagoons. In spite of the early impact of recirculating lagoon waters on the hydrochemistries, the highest Fe loadings in the longer-term pumped waters are identified with a mixed freshwater–seawater component affected by pyrite oxidation/melanterite dissolution in the subsurface system.     

Comparison of Wind-tunnel and Water-channel Simulations of Plume Dispersion through a Large Array of Obstacles with a Scaled Field Experiment

We report on measurements of the near-field dispersion of contaminant plumes in a large array of building-like obstacles at three scales; namely, at full-scale in a field experiment, at 1:50 scale in a wind-tunnel simulation, and at 1:205 scale in a water-channel simulation. Plume concentration statistics extracted from the physical modelling in the wind-tunnel and water-channel simulations are compared to those obtained from a field experiment. The modification of the detailed structure of the plume as it interacts with the obstacles is investigated. To this purpose, measurements of the evolution of the mean concentration, concentration fluctuation intensity, concentration probability density function, and integral time scale of concentration fluctuations in the array plume obtained from the field experiment and the scaled wind-tunnel and water-channel experiments are reported and compared, as well as measurements of upwind and within-array velocity spectra. Generally, the wind-tunnel and water-channel results on the modification of the detailed plume structure by the obstacles were qualitatively similar to those observed in the field experiments. However, with the appropriate scaling, the water-channel simulations were able to reproduce quantitatively the results of the full-scale field experiments better than the wind-tunnel simulations.     

Crustal origin for coupled 'ultra-depleted' and 'plagioclase' signatures in MORB olivine-hosted melt inclusions: evidence from the Siqueiros Transform Fault,East Pacific Rise

Geochemical data from melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts in a picritic basalt from the Siqueiros Transform Fault on the northern East Pacific Rise provide insights into the petrogenesis of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). The fresh lava contains ~10% of olivine phenocrysts (Fo_89.3-91.2) and rare, small (<1 mm) plagioclase phenocrysts with subhedral to irregular shapes with a range of compositions (An_80-90, An_57-63). Melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts are glassy, generally rounded in shape and vary in size from a few to ~200 µm. Although most of the inclusions have compositions that are generally consistent with being representative of parental melts for the pillow-rim glasses, several inclusions are clearly different. One inclusion, which contains a euhedral grain of high-Al, low-Ti spinel, has a composition unlike any melt inclusions previously described from primitive phenocrysts in MORB. It has a very high Al₂O₃ (~20 wt%), very low TiO₂ (~0.04 wt%) and Na₂O (~1 wt%) contents, and a very high CaO/Na₂O value (~14). The glass inclusion is strongly depleted in all incompatible elements (La =0.052 ppm; Yb =0.34; La/Sm(n) ~0.27), but it has large positive Sr and Eu anomalies (Sr/Sr* ~30; Eu/Eu* ~3) and a negative Zr anomaly. It also has low S (0.015 wt%) and relatively high Cl (180 ppm). We suggest that this unusual composition is a consequence of olivine trapping plagioclase in a hot, strongly plagioclase-undersaturated magma and subsequent reaction between plagioclase and the host olivine producing melt and residual spinel. Two other melt inclusions in a different olivine phenocryst have compositions that are generally intermediate between 'normal' inclusions and the aluminous inclusion, but have even higher CaO and Sr contents. They are also depleted in incompatible elements, but to a lesser degree than the aluminous inclusion, and have smaller Sr and Eu anomalies. Similar inclusions have also been described in high-Fo olivine phenocrysts from Iceland and northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. We suggest that the compositions of these inclusions represent assimilation of gabbroic material into the hot primitive magma. The localised nature of this assimilation is consistent with it occurring within a crystal mush zone where the porosity is high as primitive magmas pass through earlier formed gabbroic 'cumulates'. In such an environment the contaminants are expected to have quite diverse compositions. Although the interaction of primitive melts with gabbroic material may not affect the compositions of erupted MORB melts on a large scale, this process may be important in some MORB suites and should be accounted for in petrogenetic models. Another important implication is that the observed variability in melt inclusion compositions in primitive MORB phenocrysts need not always to reflect processes occurring in the mantle. In particular, inferences on fractional melting processes based on geochemistry of ultra-depleted melt inclusions may not always be valid.     

Relationship between Granite and Eclogite on the Southern Margin of the Qilian Mountains: Evidence from Zircon SHRIMP Agesof the Aolaoshan Granite

Zircon SHRIMP ages of the Aolaoshan granite on the south margin of the Qilian Mts. range from 445±15.3 to 496±7.6 Ma (averaging 473 Ma), belonging to the Early Ordovician. Geochemically, the granite is similar to I-type granite and, tectonically, was formed in an island-arc environment based on relevant diagrams for structural discriminations. Considering also the regional geology, the authors suggest that the granite is part of an ultrahigh-pressure belt on the south margin of the Qilian Mts. and that its formation bears a close relationship to this belt.     

Munitions in British coastal waters

Munitions are now widely distributed throughout the coastal waters of the British Isles following accidental losses or deliberate dumping in the past. Substantial quantities have been discovered by the general public, and occasional injuries or fatalities have resulted from the improper handling of a small proportion found in dangerous condition.     

Book reviews

GRIFFITH TAYLOR: Antarctic scientist and pioneer geographer (Carleton Library Series No. 145) by M. Sanderson. 15 x 23 cm, xi and 218 pages. Carleton University Press: Ottawa 1988 (ISBN 0 88629 068 6) $C24.95 (hard); (ISBN 0 88629 068 X) $C14.95 (soft) plus postage.

LAND, WATER AND PEOPLE: Geographical essays in Australian resource management edited by R. L. Heathcote and J. A. Mabbutt. 14 x 21 cm, xiii and 266 pages. Allen & Unwin: Sydney 1988 (ISBN 0 04 303008 4) $A24.95 (soft).

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY: Book One by J. Paine, H. McLean and G. Mayhew. 19 x 25 cm, 389 pages. Macmillan: Melbourne 1988 (ISBN 0 333 43073 5) $A28.95 (soft).

Climate Impact Assessment Program (1975) Impacts of climate change on the biosphere, Monograph No. 5, US Department of Transportation, Washington DC.

SMALL‐SCALE AGRICULTURE edited by J. Hirst, J. Overton, B. Allen and Y. Byron. 18 x 25 cm, xii and 210 pages. Commonwealth Geographical Bureau and Department of Human Geography, Australian National University: Canberra 1988 (ISBN 0 7316 3609 0) $A 10.00 (soft).

THE BRITTLE RIM: Finance, Business and the Pacific Region by M. T. Daly and M. I. Logan. 15 × 23 cm, 263 pages, Penguin Books: Ring‐wood 1989 (ISBN 0 14 012095 5) $A24.99 (soft)

THE END OF ORGANISED CAPITALISM by S. Lash and J. Urry. 15 x 23cm, 383 pages. Polity Press: Cambridge 1987 (ISBN 07456 00697) $A34.95 (soft).

THE POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT: An Introduction to Global Issues by J. L. Seitz. 15 x 23 cm, xiii and 194 pages. Basil Blackwell: New York 1988 (ISBN 0 631 15801 4) $A27.95 (soft).

DEVELOPING WITH FOREIGN INVESTMENT edited by V. Cable and B. Persaud. 16 x 24 cm, viii and 327 pages. Croom Helm: London 1987 (ISBN 0 7099 4825 5) $A87.95 (hard).

PLANNING SYDNEY'S FUTURE by P. Spearritt and C. DeMarco, 21 x 27 cm, and 150 pages. Allen & Unwin: Sydney 1988 (ISBN 0 04 324014 3) $A17.95 (soft).

THE RICHEST LODE: Broken Hill 1888–1988 by R. J. Solomon. 22 x 28 cm, 424 pages. Hale & Iremonger: Sydney 1988 (ISBN 0 86806 333 9).

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT (North Australia: Progress and Prospects, Volume 1) edited by D. Wade‐Marshall and P. Loveday. xiii and 310 pages. North Australia Research Unit, Australian National University: Darwin 1988 (ISBN 07315 0335 X).

NEW CALEDONIA OR KANAKY? The Political History of a French Colony (Pacific Research Monograph No. 16) by J. Connell. National Centre for Development Studies, Australian National University: Canberra 1987 (ISBN 0 7315 05123).

DISEASE ECOLOGY by Andrew Learmonth. 15 x 23 cm, 456 pages. Basil Blackwell: Oxford 1988 (ISBN 0 631 15799 9) $A46.00 (soft).

QUALITATIVE METHODS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY edited by J. Eyles and D. M. Smith. 15 x 23 cm, xiii and 272 pages. Polity Press: Cambridge 1988 (ISBN 0 7456 0371 8) $A34.95 (soft).

GEOGRAPHICAL SYSTEMS AND SYSTEMS OF GEOGRAPHY: Essays in Honour of William Warntz edited by W. J. Coffey. 14 x 21 cm, 211 pages. Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario: London, Ontario 1988 (ISBN 0 7714 09747) $C30.00 (soft).     

A late Quaternary pollen sequence from Mfabeni Peatland, South Africa: Reconstructing forest history in Maputaland

This paper documents a continuous  44,000-yr pollen record derived from the Mfabeni Peatland on the Maputaland Coastal Plain. A detailed fossil pollen analysis indicates the existence of extensive Podocarpus-abundant coastal forests before  33,000 cal yr BP. The onset of wetter local conditions after this time is inferred from forest retreat and the development of swampy conditions. Conditions during the last glacial maximum ( 21,000 cal yr BP) are inferred to have been colder and drier than the present, as evidenced by forest retreat and replacement of swampy reed/sedge communities by dry grassland. Forest growth and expansion during the Holocene Altithermal ( 8000–6000 cal yr BP) indicates warm, relatively moist conditions. Previous records from Maputaland have suggested a northward migration of Podocarpus forest during the late Holocene. However, we interpret a mid-Holocene decline in Podocarpus at Mfabeni as evidence of deforestation. Forest clearance during the mid-Holocene is supported by the appearance of Morella serrata, suggesting a shift towards more open grassland/savanna, possibly due to burning. These signals of human impact are coupled with an increase in Acacia, indicative of the development of secondary forest and hence disturbance.     

The Composition of Near-solidus Partial Melts of Fertile Peridotite at 1 and 1{middle dot}5 GPa: Implications for the Petrogenesis of MORB

We have determined the near-solidus melt compositions for peridotiteMM-3, a suitable composition for the production of mid-oceanridge basalt (MORB) by decompression partial melting, at 1 and1·5 GPa. At 1 GPa the MM-3 composition has a subsolidusplagioclase-bearing spinel lherzolite assemblage, and a solidusat 1270°C. At only 5°C above the solidus, 4% meltis present as a result of almost complete melting of plagioclase.This melting behaviour in plagioclase lherzolite is predictedfrom simple systems and previous experimental work. The persistenceof plagioclase to > 0·8 GPa is strongly dependenton bulk-rock CaO/Na₂O and normative plagioclase content in theperidotite. At 1·5 GPa the MM-3 composition has a subsolidusspinel lherzolite assemblage, and a solidus at 1350°C.We have determined a near-solidus melt composition at 2% meltingwithin 10°C of the solidus. Near-solidus melts at both 1and 1·5 GPa are nepheline normative, and have low normativediopside contents; also they have the highest TiO₂, Al₂O₃ andNa₂O, and the lowest FeO and Cr₂O₃ contents compared with higherdegree partial melts. Comparison of these near-solidus meltswith primitive MORB glasses, which lie in the olivine-only fieldof crystallization at low pressure, indicate that petrogeneticmodels involving aggregation of near-fractional melts formedduring melting at pressures of 1·5 GPa or less are unlikelyto be correct. In this study we use an experimental approachthat utilizes sintered oxide mix starting materials and peridotitereaction experiments. We also examine some recent studies usingan alternative approach of melt migration into, and entrapmentwithin ‘melt traps’ (olivine, diamond, vitreouscarbon) and discuss optimal procedures for this method. KEY WORDS: experimental petrology; mantle melting; near-solidus; fertile peridotite; MORB     

Sporormiella as a proxy for non-mammalian herbivores in island ecosystems

Spores of the dung-fungi Sporormiella are routinely used as a proxy for past megaherbivore biomass and to pinpoint the timing of extinctions. Further ecological insight can also be gained into the impacts that followed initial human arrival in a region through correlation of spore abundance with other proxies (e.g. pollen, charcoal). Currently, the use of Sporormiella as a palaeoecological proxy has been restricted to landmasses where large-herbivore guilds are dominated by mammals. Here, we use New Zealand as a case study to show that the method can also be applied effectively to islands dominated by large avian herbivores. We examine 44 dung samples from 7 localities to show that Sporormiella spores were widely distributed in the dung of endemic avian herbivores (South Island takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri), kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), and several species of extinct moa, identified by ancient DNA analysis). In addition, we show that Sporormiella spores in a forest soil core from the Murchison Mountains, South Island, accurately trace the post-settlement decline of native avian herbivores, and combined with high-resolution radiocarbon dating reveal severely reduced local herbivore populations by the late 17th Century AD. The spores also trace the subsequent spread of Red deer (Cervus elaphus) introduced to the area in the early 20th Century AD. Our results suggest Sporormiella spores may provide a useful new tool for examining extinctions on numerous islands where terrestrial herbivore guilds were dominated by birds or reptiles. Our findings also highlight the need to consider entire herbivore communities (including birds and reptiles) when examining Late Pleistocene continental Sporormiella records, where the focus has often been tracing the decline of populations of large mammals.