The action of the satellite 1981 S13, and the optical depth profile of the Encke-gap ringlet in the Saturn A ring

The radial optical depth profile of the Encke ringlet obtained by the occultation experiment of the Voyager photopolarimeter (PPS data) is explained to be caused by the gravitational action of the recently discovered stallite 1981 S13 and a second smaller moonlet orbiting near one of its either libration points — L₄ or L₅. To this aim the results of previous and new numerical particle simulations as well as an extension of the scattering theory concerning a single moonlet to a pair of satellites have been used leading to a triple-peaked ringlet near the orbits of the moonlets. The width and the shape of that ringlet and its separate peaks depend on the mass ratio of both moonlets and on their orbital eccentricites. The best resemblance between the PPS data and the theoretical profile is obtained if the mass ratio of the either moonlets takes M₂/M_1981S13 ≈ (0.8 … 3.0) × 10⁻² and the eccentricities hold: e_1981S13 < h_1981S13; e₂ ≈ h₂ (the values h are the Hill scales of either moonlets defined by h_1981S13/2 ≈ (M_1981S13/2/3M_h)^1/3, M_h = Saturn mass). Furthermore, our results yield a size of 1981 S13 of < 15 km in diameter.     

Seasonal δ13CDIC sourcing and geochemical flux in telogenetic epikarst of south-central Kentucky

Telogenetic epikarst carbon sourcing and transport processes and their associated hydrogeochemical responses are complex and dynamic. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) transport rates in the epikarst zone are often driven by hydrogeochemical responses, which influence carbonate dissolution and conduit formation. This study examines the influence of land use on carbon sourcing and carbonate dissolution kinetics through a comparative analysis of separate, but similar, epikarst systems in south-central Kentucky. The use of high-resolution hydrogeochemical data from multiple data loggers and isotope analysis from collected water samples reflects the processes within these epikarst aquifers, which are estimated to contribute significantly to bedrock dissolution. Results indicate that, in an agricultural setting, long-term variability and dissolution is governed by seasonal production of CO₂ . In a more urbanized, shallower epikarst system, land cover may affect CO₂ transport between the soil and underlying bedrock. This concentration of CO₂ potentially contributes to ongoing dissolution and conduit development, irrespective of seasonality. The observed responses in telogenetic epikarst systems seem to be more similar to eogenetic settings, which is suggested to be driven by CO₂ transport occurring independent of high matrix porosity. The results of this study indicate site-specific responses with respect to both geochemical and δ¹³C_DIC changes on a seasonal scale, despite regional geologic similarities. The results indicate that further comparative analyses between rural and urban landscapes in other karst settings is needed to delineate the impact of land use and seasonality on dissolution and carbon sourcing during karst formation processes. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sampling soil water along the pF curve for δ2H and δ18O analysis

Soil water stable isotopes are widely used across disciplines (e.g., hydrology, ecology, soil science, and biogeochemistry). However, the full potential of stables isotopes as a tool for characterizing the origin, flow path, transport processes and residence times of water in different eco-, hydro-, and geological compartments has not yet been exploited. This is mainly due to the large variety of different methods for pore water extraction. While recent work has shown that matric potential affects the equilibrium fractionation, little work has examined how different water retention characteristics might affect the sampled water isotopic composition. Here, we present a simple laboratory experiment with two well-studied standard soils differing in their physico-chemical properties (e.g., clayey loam and silty sand). Samples were sieved, oven-dried and spiked with water of known isotopic composition to full saturation. For investigating the effect of water retention characteristics on the extracted water isotopic composition, we used pressure extractors to sample isotopically labelled soil water along the pF curve. After pressure extraction, we further extracted the soil samples via cryogenic vacuum extraction. The null hypothesis guiding our work was that water held at different tensions shows the same isotopic composition. Our results showed that the sampled soil water differed isotopically from the introduced isotopic label over time and sequentially along the pF curve. Our and previous studies suggest caution in interpreting isotope results of extracted soil water and a need to better characterize processes that govern isotope fractionation with respect to soil water retention characteristics. In the future, knowledge about soil water retention characteristics with respect to soil water isotopic composition could be applied to predict soil water fractionation effects under natural and non-stationary conditions. In this regard, isotope retention characteristics as an analog to water retention characteristics have been proposed as a way forward since matric potential affects the equilibrium fractionation between the bound water and the water vapour.     

基于WOA13数据的北大西洋声传播分析

应用WOA13季节平均数据和BELLHOP模型,在季节、声源频率、声源深度和掠射角等因素确定的情况下,分析北大西洋冬季(1-3月)声道轴深度、最小声速值、表层声速值的分布,通过仿真计算研究选用位置点5 m深度声源的声传播规律:反转深度随纬度升高而降低,低纬度海岭东西两侧差别不大,15°N以北为西侧大于东侧。55°N以南海区可形成汇聚区波导,海岭西侧的汇聚区跨度大于海岭东侧,有混合层时还存在一定强度的表面波导,汇聚区处5 m、100 m和250 m接收深度上的传播损失差异较小,增益为7～19 dB,55°N以北海区则为有焦散结构的表面波导。以北大西洋35°N为界,以南以汇聚区波导探测有利,以北以表面波导探测有利。     

Lignin phenols used to infer organic matter sources to Sepetiba Bay – RJ,Brasil

Lignin phenols were measured in the sediments of Sepitiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and in bedload sediments and suspended sediments of the four major fluvial inputs to the bay; São Francisco and Guandu Channels and the Guarda and Cação Rivers. Fluvial suspended lignin yields (Σ8 3.5–14.6 mgC 10 g dw⁻¹) vary little between the wet and dry seasons and are poorly correlated with fluvial chlorophyll concentrations (0.8–50.2 μgC L⁻¹). Despite current land use practices that favor grassland agriculture or industrial uses, fluvial lignin compositions are dominated by a degraded leaf-sourced material. The exception is the Guarda River, which has a slight influence from grasses. The Lignin Phenol Vegetation Index, coupled with acid/aldehyde and 3.5 Db/V ratios, indicate that degraded leaf-derived phenols are also the primary preserved lignin component in the bay. The presence of fringe Typha sp. and Spartina sp. grass beds surrounding portions of the Bay are not reflected in the lignin signature. Instead, lignin entering the bay appears to reflect the erosion of soils containing a degraded signature from the former Atlantic rain forest that once dominated the watershed, instead of containing a significant signature derived from current agricultural uses. A three-component mixing model using the LPVI, atomic N:C ratios, and stable carbon isotopes (which range between –26.8 and –21.8‰) supports the hypothesis that fluvial inputs to the bay are dominated by planktonic matter (78% of the input), with lignin dominated by leaf (14% of the input) over grass (6%). Sediments are composed of a roughly 50–50 mixture of autochthonous material and terrigenous material, with lignin being primarily sourced from leaf.     

Bulk organic δC and C/N as indicators for sediment sources in the Pearl River delta and estuary,southern China

Preservation of organic matter in estuarine and coastal areas is an important process in the global carbon cycle. This paper presents bulk δ¹³C and C/N of organic matter from source to sink in the Pearl River catchment, delta and estuary, and discusses the applicability of δ¹³C and C/N as indicators for sources of organic matter in deltaic and estuarine sediments. In addition to the 91 surface sediment samples, other materials collected in this study cover the main sources of organic material to estuarine sediment. These are: terrestrial organic matter (TOM), including plants and soil samples from the catchment; estuarine and marine suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) from both summer and winter. Results show that the average δ¹³C of estuarine surface sediment increases from −25.0 ± 1.3‰ in the freshwater environment to −21.0 ± 0.2‰ in the marine environment, with C/N decreasing from 15.2 ± 3.3 to 6.8 ± 0.2. In the source areas, C₃ plants have lower δ¹³C than C₄ plants (−29.0 ± 1.8‰ and −13.1 ± 0.5‰ respectively). δ¹³C increases from −28.3 ± 0.8‰ in the forest soil to around −24.1‰ in both riverbank soil and mangrove soil due to increasing proportion of C₄ grasses. The δ¹³C_POC increases from −27.6 ± 0.8‰ in the freshwater areas to −22.4 ± 0.5‰ in the marine-brackish-water areas in winter, and ranges between −24.0‰ in freshwater areas and −25.4‰ in brackish-water areas in summer. Comparison of the δ¹³C and C/N between the sources and sink indicates a weakening TOM and freshwater POC input in the surface sedimentary organic matter seawards, and a strengthening contribution from the marine organic matter. Thus we suggest that bulk organic δ¹³C and C/N analysis can be used to indicate sources of sedimentary organic matter in estuarine environments. Organic carbon in surface sediments derived from anthropogenic sources such as human waste and organic pollutants from industrial and agricultural activities accounts for less than 10% of the total organic carbon (TOC). Although results also indicate elevated δ¹³C of sedimentary organic matter due to some agricultural products such as sugarcane, C₃ plants are still the dominant vegetation type in this area, and the bulk organic δ¹³C and C/N is still an effective indicator for sources of organic matter in estuarine sediments.     

Origins and maturity of organic matter in mid-Cretaceous black shales from ODP Site 1138 on the Kerguelen Plateau

We have conducted elemental, isotopic, and Rock-Eval analyses of Cenomanian–Santonian sediment samples from ODP Site 1138 in the southern Indian Ocean to assess the origin and thermal maturity of organic matter in mid-Cretaceous black shales found at this high-latitude location. Total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations range between 1 and 20 wt% in black to medium-gray sediments deposited around the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary. Results of Rock-Eval pyrolysis indicate that the organic matter is algal Type II material that has experienced modest alteration. Important contributions of nitrogen-fixing bacteria to the amplified production of organic matter implied by the high TOC concentrations is recorded in δ¹⁵N values between −5 and 1‰, and the existence of a near-surface intensified oxygen minimum zone that favored organic carbon preservation is implied by TOC/TN ratios between 20 and 40. In contrast to the marine nature of the organic matter in the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary section, deeper sediments at Site 1138 contain evidence of contributions land-derived organic matter that implies the former presence of forests on the Kerguelen Plateau until the earliest Cenomanian.     

沉积岩中自生伊利石K-Ar定年研究——存在问题及原因讨论

在浙江长兴煤山全球二叠系一三叠系界线层型剖面中界线附近采集黏土岩样品。对其中的伊利石／蒙皂石成岩间层I／S进行K—Ar测年实验研究，来探讨沉积岩中自生伊利石K—Ar测年在确定沉积地层时代方面的可行性。结果表明，沉积岩中成岩间层I／S的K—Ar年龄在没有碎屑含钾矿物混入的情况下，比其对应的地层时代要年轻，其原因主要有两条，一是因为泥岩中的自生伊利石来自于蒙皂石的伊利石化，而蒙皂石的伊利石化受很多因素控制，需要一定的时间才能完成；另一原因是由于蒙皂石伊利石化过程中存在着放射性成因^40Ar的扩散丢失。     

A Local Least-Squares Modification of Stokes’ Formula

The combination of Stokes formula and an Earth Gravity Model (EGM) for geoid determination has become a standard procedure. However, the way of modifying Stokes formula vary from author to author, and numerous methods of modification exist. Most methods are deterministic, with the primary goal of reducing the truncation bias committed by limiting the area of Stokes integration around the computation point, but there are also some stochastic methods with the explicit goal to reduce the global mean square error of the geoid height estimator stemming from the truncation bias as well as the random errors of the EGM and the gravity data. The latter estimators are thus, at least from a theoretical point of view, optimal in a global mean sense, but in a local sense they may be far from optimality.Here we take advantage of the error variance-covariance matrices of the EGM and the terrestrial gravity data to derive the modification parameters of Stokes kernel in a local least-squares sense. The solution is given for the unbiased type of modification of Stokes formula of Sjöberg (1991).     

内陆河流域系统降水中的稳定同位素——乌鲁木齐河流域降水中δ18O与温度关系研究

研究了乌鲁木齐河流域从下游乌鲁木齐站、中游跃进桥站和源头大西沟站降水中稳定同位素 与温度的关系,揭示了内陆河流域系统降水中稳定同位素的变化规律．在乌鲁木齐河流域,降水中 的δ18O随海拔增高而减小,δ18O与温度有密切的正相关关系,说明δ18O是温度的可靠指标．在乌鲁 木齐河流域,局地性降水的增加影响单个降水事件中δ18O与温度的关系．在跃进桥站和大西沟站, 因局地性降水增加,所以单个降水事件中δ18O与温度的关系较乌鲁木齐站差．但在月平均以上时间 尺度上．跃进桥站和大西沟站δ18O与温度的关系反比乌鲁木齐站好．说明越往冰川区．δ18O对温度 反映越敏感．