Nitrogen utilisation by size‐fractionated phytoplankton assemblages associated with an upwelling event off Westland,New Zealand

Abstract

Uptake rates of ammonium (NH₄ ⁺ ), nitrate (NO₃ ^? ), and urea by three subgroups of phytoplankton (< 200, < 20, < 2 μm) off Westland, were measured using ¹⁵ N tracer techniques in midwinter 1988, after a recent upwelling. For all size fractions at surface irradiance (I₁₀₀), nitrogen (N) was taken up primarily as NO₃ ^?. This accounted for 67–85% of total N uptake (SρN), whereas at 40 and 7% of surface irradiance, the regenerated N (NH₄ ⁺ ) and urea) made up 31–72% of SρN. Depth profile experiments for all three size components showed that uptake of NO₃ ^? was most light‐sensitive, followed by that of NH₄ ⁺ and urea. The irradiance and nutrient availability plot indicated that light was substantially more important than the nutrient concentrations in controlling the assimilation of N by microplankton (20–200 μm). Nano‐ (2–20 μm) and picoplankton (< 2 μm) however, were not as sensitive to either light or nutrient concentrations. High winds and the resulting deep mixing, combined with offshore and alongshore advection in the midwinter, were suggested to be the major cause of the low biomass and N productivity.     

2011年3月胶州湾表层海水pCO2及海-气界面通量

依据2011年3月4日对胶州湾走航连续实测所得pCO2数据,结合水文、化学和生物等要素的同步实测资料,对胶州湾海域pCO2分布及其影响因素进行了初步探讨,并估算了3月海-气CO2通量。结果表明:3月胶州湾表层海水pCO2实测值在191～332μatm之间,平均值为278μatm,海-气CO2通量在-22.76～-7.13mmol·m-2·d-1,平均值为-14.2mmol·m-2·d-1,这一时期胶州湾从大气吸收约1.59×103t C,表现为大气CO2的强汇。生物活动是影响这一时期表层海水pCO2分布的主要原因。     

Geochemical behavior during mineralization and alteration events in the Baiyinchang volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits,Gansu Province,China

The Zheyaoshan deposit is the largest within the Baiyinchang (BYC) volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) district, located in the northern Qilian orogenic belt of North China. The deposit is hosted by quartz keratophyre tuffs, with wall-rock alteration mainly comprising chlorite, sericite, quartz, pyrite and epidote. Mineral assemblages within the altered host rocks can be divided into a sericite-quartz-dominant assemblage (sericite-silicified zone), a chlorite-dominant assemblage (chlorite-dominant zone) and a pyrite-dominant assemblage (mineralized zone) based on geochemical analysis and alteration characteristics. We have conducted detailed processing and critical analysis of the geochemical data of both the altered and least-altered host rocks in order to investigate the problem of closure in the geochemical dataset to eliminate the influence that each component has on the other in terms of mass change, and have applied the standardized method of the mass change calculation to analyze this data. The results show that: (1) the sericite-silicified zone formed along fissures due to the ingress of hydrothermal fluids, with MnO₂, Na₂O and CaO being mobilized into the hydrothermal fluids leached and MgO, Fe₂O₃, SiO₂, K₂O, BaO deposited. Additionally, Ag, Cu and chalcophile elements (Ag, As and Bi) were enriched while Pb, Zn and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) (Cs, Sr, Eu, Be) were mobilized into hydrothermal fluids; (2) the physiochemical conditions and pH levels of the hydrothermal fluids changed during sericitization, with MgO, Fe₂O₃, BaO being further enriched and MnO, Na₂O, CaO further depleted, leading to formation of chlorite and the initial precipitation of metallogenic the (Cu, Zn, Pb) and chalcophile elements (Ag, As, Bi); (3) the negative Eu anomaly was mainly due to its strong activity when Eu is mobilized into the hydrothermal fluids during since plagioclase break-down during the sericite-silicification process; (4) AI and CCPI values gradually increase towards the orebody. The chlorite-dominant assemblage and sericite-quartz-dominant assemblage on the periphery of the chlorite-dominant zone can all be used as vectors towards the volcanic massive sulfide orebody and for regional-scale mineral exploration. Either leached elements or enriched elements can be considered as significant indicator elements and as prospective indicators for geochemical exploration within the BYC district. The Eu anomaly may be especially useful as an indicator for distinguishing the least-altered rocks which has great significance for exploration on the regional scale.     

Association of metals with plastic production pellets in the marine environment

Plastic production pellets sampled from four beaches along a stretch of coastline (south Devon, SW England) and accompanying, loosely adhered and entrapped material removed ultrasonically have been analysed for major metals (Al, Fe, Mn) and trace metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Mo, Sb, Sn, U) following acid digestion. In most cases, metal concentrations in composite pellet samples from each site were less than but within an order of magnitude of corresponding concentrations in the pooled extraneous materials. However, normalisation of data with respect to Al revealed enrichment of Cd and Pb in plastic pellets at two sites. These observations are not wholly due to the association of pellets with fine material that is resistant to ultrasonication since new polyethylene pellets suspended in a harbour for 8 weeks accumulated metals from sea water through adsorption and precipitation. The environmental implications and potential applications of these findings are discussed.     

Baseline metals pollution profile of tropical estuaries and coastal waters of the Straits of Malacca

The status report on metal pollution in tropical estuaries and coastal waters is important to understand potential environmental health hazards. Detailed baseline measurements were made on physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, redox potential, electrical conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solid), major ions (Na, Ca, Mg, K, HCO₃, Cl, SO₄ and NO₃) and metals concentrations (²⁷Al, ⁷⁵As, ¹³⁸Ba, ⁹Be, ¹¹¹Cd, ⁵⁹Co, ⁶³Cu, ⁵²Cr, ⁵⁷Fe, ⁵⁵Mn, ⁶⁰Ni, ²⁰⁸Pb, ⁸⁰Se, ⁶⁶Zn) at estuaries and coastal waters along the Straits of Malacca. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to reveal potential pollution sources. Seven principal components were extracted with relation to pollution contribution from minerals-related parameters, natural and anthropogenic sources. The output from this study will generate a profound understanding on the metal pollution status and pollution risk of the estuaries and coastal system.     

Prediction of phytoavailability of trace metals to plants: Comparison between chemical extractions and soil-grown radish

One of the major routes of human exposure to toxic metals is the consumption of vegetables grown on contaminated soils. Radishes were grown in three different soils (kitchen garden, agricultural and industrial soils), presenting various contamination levels. A sequential extraction procedure was compared with EDTA and HCl simple extractions methods in order to predict the metals phytoavailabilty to radish. The analysis of the results shows that the simple HCl and sequential chemical extractions bring complementary results, since HCl is correlated in the phytoavailability of Cd, Mn and Zn, whereas the sequential extraction is correlated in the phytoavailability of Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni. EDTA simple extraction brings here less interesting results than the two other tested extractions.     

Using aerial photography and in situ measurements to estimate the quantity of macro-litter on beaches

This study has demonstrated a reliable method of quantifying the total mass of litter on a beach. It was conducted on Ookushi beach, Goto-Islands, Japan, and uses a combination of balloon-assisted aerial photography and in situ mass measurements. The total mass of litter over the beach was calculated to be 716 ± 259 kg. This figure was derived by multiplying the litter-covered area (calculated using balloon-assisted aerial photography) by the mass of litter per unit area. Light plastics such as polyethylene made up 55% of all plastic litter on the beach, although more work is needed to determine whether lighter plastics are transported to beaches more readily by winds and ocean currents compared with heavier plastics, or whether lighter plastics comprise a greater percentage of marine litter. Finally, the above estimates were used to calculate the total mass of metals released into coastal ecosystems via plastic litter on beaches.