Formation of Humic-like Substances in Mixed and Pure Cultures of Aquatic Microorganisms

A natural decay of plant and animal biomass in aquatic environments results in the release of different simple structured organic substances into water. In our laboratory experiments we investigated whether some of them, e.g., starch or peptone, and also a complex yeast biomass can be transformed into humic-like substances by natural assemblages and some pure cultures of aquatic microorganisms. After a 6 months incubation most of the cultural media enriched with those natural organic substrates turned dark in color and humic-like substances (HS) could be isolated. However, the original substrate organic carbon was mainly mineralized in microbial cultures, and only about 3 % C was converted into HS. Total yields of HS differed in dependence of the individual substrate used (peptone > yeast > starch), the origin of inoculum (river > lake > groundwater), and the incubation temperature (20°C > 10°C). According to their elemental composition, and their spectroscopical and electrophoretic characteristics the microbially formed HS resembled natural aquatic humic matter, but were higher in aliphatic constituents (carbohydrates, peptides) and lower in aromatic structures. HS-like substances were also obtained from pure cultures of a bacterium Bacillus sphaericus and a fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides. The ¹³C and ¹⁵N isotopic contents of the microbially produced HS differed in dependence on the microbial inoculum and the type of organic substrates used, but in general they indicated anabolic processes to be mainly responsible for the humification of the simple organic substrates used in our experiments.     

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) as a Sum Parameter of Water Pollution in Selected Polish Rivers (Vistula,Odra, and Warta)

This paper reports on total organic carbon (TOC) and its fractions dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) studied in different Polish rivers. The samples investigated came from the Vistula, Odra, and Warta rivers, and were compared with similar data on river waters available in the literature. The DOC concentrations ranged from 10.0 to 14.2 mg/L and did not vary during the vegetative season. The POC values considerably increased from May through September and reached a maximum in summer. Results for the years 1991τ1996 evidenced a significant increase in the POC value for the Polish rivers from 10.8 to 24.5 mg/L, in comparison with analogous values for West European rivers and North American ones. The enhanced values of TOC and POC were interpreted as being due to anthropogenic pollution.     

Hydrocarbon source rock potential in the southwestern Gulf of Suez graben: Insights from organic geochemistry and palynofacies studies on well samples from the Ras El Bahar Oilfield

Palynological and biomarker characteristics of organic facies recovered from Cretaceous–Miocene well samples in the Ras El Bahar Oilfield, southwest Gulf of Suez, and their correlation with lithologies, environments of deposition and thermal maturity have provided a sound basis for determining their source potential for hydrocarbons. In addition to palynofacies analysis, TOC/Rock-Eval pyrolysis, kerogen concentrates, bitumen extraction, carbon isotopes and saturated and aromatic biomarkers enable qualitative and quantitative assessments of sedimentary organic matter to be made. The results obtained from Rock-Eval pyrolysis and molecular biomarker data indicate that most of the samples come from horizons that have fair to good hydrocarbon generation potential in the study area. The Upper Cretaceous–Paleocene-Lower Eocene samples contain mostly Type-II to Type-III organic matter with the capability of generating oil and gas. The sediments concerned accumulated in dysoxic–anoxic marine environments. By contrast, the Miocene rocks yielded mainly Type-III and Type-II/III organic matter with mainly gas-generating potential. These rocks reflect deposition in a marine environment into which there was significant terrigenous input. Three palynofacies types have been recognized. The first (A) consists of Type-III gas-prone kerogen and is typical of the Early–Middle Miocene Belayim, Kareem and upper Rudeis formations. The second (B) has mixed oil and gas features and characterizes the remainder of the Rudeis Formation. The third association (C) is dominated by amorphous organic matter, classified as borderline Type-II oil-prone kerogen, and is typical of the Matulla (Turonian–Santonian) and Wata (Turonian) formations. Rock-Eval T_max, PI, hopane and sterane biomarkers consistently indicate an immature to early mature stage of thermal maturity for the whole of the studied succession.     

Using input–output methods to assess the effects of fishing and aquaculture on a regional economy: The case of Galicia,Spain

This paper uses an input–output model to quantify the socioeconomic impact of fishing and aquaculture on Galicia, one of Spain's most important maritime regions. Results indicate that the carryover effects of these production activities are important for Galicia's economy because they contribute not only to job creation but also to possibilities for obtaining income in other economic sectors. These sectors’ combined production in 2013 was almost a million euros, and that production was estimated to account for nearly 2% of the regional economy's value added and for more than 17,000 full-time jobs. Together these contributions amounted to some €1.7 billion in production and €975 million in value added to other Galician economic activities. At the same time, fishing and aquaculture were responsible for creating the equivalent of more than 14,000 full-time jobs in other economic activities.     

King Canute muses in the South Seas: Why aren’t Pacific Islands transitioning to low carbon sea transport futures?

Transition to low carbon sea transport is a logical response to the extreme dependency of the Pacific Islands region on imported fossil fuel, its significant vulnerability to the effects of climate change and the critical shipping needs of Pacific Island countries (PICs). Building on previous work in low carbon sea transport in the Pacific, this paper further considers the barriers to achieving such transition by assessing, through a ‘post-Paris Agreement’ lens, the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted by PICs and contrasting these to the near total lack of investment and planning for low carbon transition in the transport sector with the parallel occurrence in the electricity sector where ~USD 2 billion of donor investment is deployed or queued despite electricity using only ~20% of fossil fuel across the region. Consistent with recent international studies, inadequate and inappropriate financing and policy have been identified as dominant transition barriers for low carbon sea transport development in PICs. This paper further examines the regional level barriers to policy development, and finds them inhibited by the silo nature of the major regional actors. The implications that the Paris Agreement has for climate financing to support the essential research and capacity development needed to underpin a successful low carbon sea transport transition strategy at any useful scale and speed are also considered in this paper.     

Calculation and analysis of negative skin of monopile applied for offshore wind turbine

Monopiles are considered to be as a kind of viable foundation types for offshore wind turbines. The effect of negative skin friction on pile foundation is always an important problem. There are very important theoretical and practical significance to study the distribution law of negative skin friction and the calculation method. Based on the special stratum, the stress and strain of the monopile and soil are simplified, and the improved Kezdi’s double-broken-line model is adopted. The analytical solution of negative skin friction of monopile is deduced according to the degree of skin friction. An engineering case was analyzed by the method, and the calculated results agree well with the measured data. The calculation method proposed can accurately describe the range of the monopile skin frictional distribution and the position of the neutral point, and it is simple and convenient to calculate, that is also a feasible method for calculating the negative skin friction of monopile of offshore wind turbines in practical engineering.     

Microbial activity promotes the enrichment of cobalt over nickel on hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts

The different mineral phases of the ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) crusts stem from the interaction of biotic and abiotic components. It is therefore vital to study the activity of these components to decipher their contribution to the enrichment/depletion of metals in the crust. Thus, the present study examined sorption and release of Co and Ni by Fe-Mn crusts with associated microbial communities in the presence and absence of the metabolic poison sodium azide (15?mM). The study was conducted in the presence (G⁺) and absence (G^?) of added glucose (0.1%) at temperatures of 4?±?1°C and 28?±?2°C. Results showed that the microbial community had maximal sorption of Co of 66.12?µg?g^?1 at 4?±?1°C in the absence of added glucose and 479.75?µg?g^?1 at 28?±?2°C in the presence of added glucose. Maximum sorption of Ni in the absence of added glucose was 1.89?µg?g^?1 at 4?±?1°C and release of Ni was 51.28?µg?g^?1 in the presence of added glucose. Under abiotic conditions with 15?mM sodium azide as a metabolic inhibitor, significant amounts of Co and Ni were released in the G⁺ medium. Total cell counts on the Fe-Mn crust in the presence of added glucose increased by an order of magnitude from 10⁶ to 10⁷ cells g^?1 and in the absence of added glucose remained within the order of 10⁶ cells?g^?1 irrespective of temperature of incubation. Microscopic observation of the samples from biotic incubations showed numerous bacterial cells, exopolysaccharides, and structures resembling secondary minerals formed by bacteria. The results indicate that bacteria promote the enrichment of Co and Ni on the hydrogenetic Fe-Mn crusts by sorption processes and release of Ni by reductive dissolution of the oxides. The higher enrichment of Co than Ni is attributed to the way in which microbes interact with the metals.     

Numerical investigation of the uplift performance of prestressed fiber-reinforced polymer floating piles

Finite element analyses of prestressed fiber-reinforced polymer floating piles subjected to uplift force have been conducted in this paper. First, parameters of the modified BPE model (bond–slip model at the fiber-reinforced polymer–concrete interface) were calibrated using existing pullout testing data on fiber-reinforced polymer rebars embedded in concrete. Nonlinear spring elements were used in numerical modeling to characterize the bond–slip behavior at the fiber-reinforced polymer–concrete interface. A parametric study was performed to assess the influence of rebar diameter, fiber-reinforced polymer material, embedment length, and concrete strength on the mobilized bond stress. Upon the successful modeling of the pullout performance of fiber-reinforced polymer rebars in concrete, numerical models were developed to investigate the dependence of the uplift performance of floating piles on the prestress level, uplift force, fiber-reinforced polymer type, and compressive strength of concrete.     

Predatory pelagic fishes of the Bijagós Archipelago (Guinea-Bissau) show high overlap in diets dominated by sardinella

Knowledge of trophic interactions between the key components of marine communities is required to understand food-web dynamics and develop ecosystem-based management approaches. In West Africa, where fisheries sustain the livelihoods of a significant part of the human population, this understanding is even more urgent, especially in the face of rapidly expanding fisheries and some stock collapses in the region. We studied the feeding ecology of the Crevalle jack Caranx hippos, West African Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus tritor and Guinean barracuda Sphyraena afra in the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau. These are the most abundant pelagic predatory teleost fishes in the area, but little is known about their ecology despite being species with commercial and recreational value, and they likely also play an important role in various African coastal ecosystems. Our findings show a high degree of dietary overlap among these three predator species, despite some degree of segregation by prey size and type. All three predators depend on Sardinella maderensis as the most important prey, which together with other members of the Clupeidae represented 47–96% of the ingested prey items. There was little difference in the diets of the predators between the dry and rainy seasons. These novel findings suggest a ‘wasp-waist’-structured ecosystem in the Bijagós Archipelago in which S. maderensis is the central small-sized pelagic fish species, and stress the need for an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management in the region, with precautionary measures taken to avoid the overexploitation of clupeids.     

The electrical conductivity of Posidonia black shales — from magnetotelluric exploration to rock samples

We carried out a magnetotelluric field campaign in the South–East Lower Saxony Basin, Germany, with the main goal of testing this method for imaging regional Posidonia black shale sediments. Two‐dimensional inversion results of the magnetotelluric data show a series of conductive structures correlating with brine‐saturated sediments but also with deeper, anthracitic Westphalian/Namurian coals. None of these structures can be directly related with the Posidonia black shale, which appears to be generally resistive and therefore difficult to resolve with the magnetotelluric method. This assumption is supported by measurements of electrical resistivity on a set of Posidonia shale samples from the Hils syncline in the Lower Saxony basin. These rock samples were collected in shallow boreholes and show immature (0.53% Ro), oil (0.88% Ro), and gas (1.45% Ro) window thermal maturities. None of the black shale samples showed low electrical resistivity, particularly those with oil window maturity show resistivity exceeding 10⁴ Ωm. Moreover, we could not observe a direct correlation between maturity and electrical resistivity; the Harderode samples showed the highest resistivity, whereas the Haddessen samples showed the lowest. A similar trend has been seen for coals in different states of thermal maturation. Saturation of the samples with distilled and saline water solutions led to decreasing electrical resistivity. Moreover, a positive correlation of electrical resistivity with porosity is observed for the Wickensen and Harderode samples, which suggests that the electrical resistivity of the Posidonia black shale is mainly controlled by porosity.