A Stable Carbon Isotope Study of the Food-web in a Freshwater-deprived South African Estuary, with Particular Emphasis on the Ichthyofauna

The importance of macrophytes as food sources for estuarine nekton is unclear. Previous carbon isotope investigations in the macrophyte-dominated, freshwater-deprived Kariega Estuary showed that the bivalveSolen cylindraceusdid not utilize the dominant estuarine macrophytes found within the estuary as a primary food source. This finding prompted questions as to what the nekton of this estuary utilize as primary energy sources. δ¹³C analyses of the principal autochthonous and allochthonous primary carbon sources, as well as the dominant invertebrate and fish species, indicate that there are two main carbon pathways within the Kariega Estuary. The littoral community, which incorporates the majority of crustaceans, gobies, mullet and a sparid, utilizes δ¹³C enriched primary food sources namelySpartina maritima,Zosteracapensis and epiphytes. The channel fauna, which includes the zooplankton, zooplanktivorous and piscivorous fish, utilizes a primary food source depleted in δ¹³C, which is most likely a mixture of phytoplankton, terrestrial plant debris and C₄macrophyte detritus. The C₃saltmarsh macrophytesSarcocornia perennisandChenolea diffusa, as well as benthic microalgae, appear to be less important as primary food sources to the nekton of the Kariega Estuary.     

Relationship between Shot-Induced Noise and Shot Interval in Seismic Refraction Experiments at Sea

Seismic noise induced by the seismic source during continuous profiling reduces the signal-to-noise ratio and hence the data quality. This noise is largely dependent on the shot interval. In this paper, the noise amplitude of refraction seismic records from a special experiment is analysed as a function of the shot interval. An empirical exponential relationship between mean peak noise amplitude and shot interval is deduced. By increasing the shot interval, the induced noise can be minimized on all successive records. This results in an improvement of the data, predominantly the signal-to-noise ratio. Because the seismic signal and the shot-induced noise have nearly the same spectra, the chance of improving the signal-to-noise ratio by stacking is significantly reduced.     

Model simulations of carbon sequestration in the northwest Pacific by patch fertilization

Iron fertilization of nutrient-rich surface waters of the ocean is one possible way to help slow the rising levels of atmospheric CO₂ by sequestering it in the oceans via biological carbon export. Here, I use an ocean general circulation model to simulate a patch of nutrient depletion in the subpolar northwest Pacific under various scenarios. Model results confirm that surface fertilization is an inefficient way to sequester carbon from the atmosphere (Gnanadesikan et al., 2003), since only about 20% of the exported carbon comes initially from the atmosphere. Fertilization reduces future production and thus CO₂ uptake by utilizing nutrients that would otherwise be available later. Effectively, this can be considered as leakage when compared to a control run. This “effective” leakage and the actual leakage of sequestered CO₂ cause a significant, rapid decrease in carbon retention (only 30–45% retained after 10 years and less than 20% after 50 years). This contrasts markedly with the almost 100% retention efficiency for the same duration using the same model, when carbon is disposed directly into the northwest Pacific (Matsumoto and Mignone, 2005). As a consequence, the economic effectiveness of patch fertilization is poor in two limiting cases of the future price path of carbon. Sequestered carbon in patch fertilization is lost to the atmosphere at increasingly remote places as time passes, which would make monitoring exceedingly difficult. If all organic carbon from one-time fertilization reached the ocean bottom and remineralized there, acidification would be about −0.05 pH unit with O₂ depletion about −20 μmol kg⁻¹. These anomalies are probably too small to seriously threaten deep sea biota, but they are underestimated in the model because of its large grid size. The results from this study offer little to advocate purposeful surface fertilization as a serious means to address the anthropogenic carbon problem.     

沉积物镁铝含量比及其古气候意义

沉积物的镁铝含量比——m 值(m=100×MgO/Al_2O_3)与沉积水介质的盐度、pH 水温关系密切。当水温处在冰点以下时,沉积物的m 值随水温降低而增大。当水温处在冰点以上时,水介质的盐度、pH 和水温的增加,都有利于m 值增大。由于气候条件能直接或间接地影响沉积水介质的特征,因此,沉积物的m 值对古气候的变化具有一定的判别功能。通过对中国元古宙以来沉积物m 值的分析,发现古气候的热冷变化有1200Ma 的周期,其中还有次一级的热冷气候波动。第四纪的气候是处在热气候期后期的一个冷的气候波动阶段。     

太平洋中部表层沉积物镁铝含量比的变化

本文根据中、日调查资料,研究了太平洋中部表层沉积物镁铝含量比的变化,并探讨其影响因素。     

宁阳县蒋集镇彩山小流域水土保持技术研究

该文分析研究了彩山小流域的区域坡度和土壤特性,并根据区内土壤性质划分出4个小区域,即：自然坡度在20°～25°内为V1区,15°～20°内为V2区,10°～15°内为V3区,5°～10°内为V4区,分别反映了不同的土壤等级及土壤抗冲能力。同时,也研究出了一个系统化、理论化的科学依据i=V（10/3）/5B,并对所有砂石山区水土保持治理工作具有借鉴性和实用性。     

Effects of ageing and overconsolidation on the elastic stiffness of a remoulded clay

Summary Results of resonant column tests were used to determine values of low amplitude shear modulus (G ₀) of a remoulded kaolinite clay for different durations of ageing and for different values of consolidation stress (₀) and overconsolidation ratio (OCR). It was found that after completion of primary consolidation the values of G ₀ increased linearly with the logarithm of time and after a week of confinement the value of normalized rate of secondary increase of shear modulus (N _G ) could be reliably estimated. Values of N _G were found to derease linearly with the logarithm of OCR and with the logarithm of ageing duration. This similarity of behaviour provided a basis for establishing an equivalency between age and equivalent overconsolidation ratio (OCR)_eq. The effects of ₀ and OCR on the value of G ₀ were also established in a functional form that indicated a stronger influence compared to that predicted by the Hardin Equation.