One-dimensional modelling of convective CO2 exchange in the Tropical Atlantic

Diurnal changes in seawater temperature affect the amount of air–sea gas exchange taking place through changes in solubility and buoyancy-driven nocturnal convection, which enhances the gas transfer velocity. We use a combination of in situ and satellite derived radiometric measurements and a modified version of the General Ocean Turbulence Model (GOTM), which includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coupled-Ocean Atmospheric Response Experiment (NOAA-COARE) air–sea gas transfer parameterization, to investigate heat and carbon dioxide exchange over the diurnal cycle in the Tropical Atlantic. A new term based on a water-side convective velocity scale (w_*w) is included, to improve parameterization of convectively driven gas transfer. Meteorological data from the PIRATA mooring located at 10°S10°W in the Tropical Atlantic are used, in conjunction with cloud cover estimates from Meteosat-7, to calculate fluxes of longwave, latent and sensible heat along with a heat budget and temperature profiles during February 2002. Twin model experiments, representing idealistic and realistic conditions, reveal that over daily time scales the additional contribution to gas exchange from convective overturning is important. Increases in transfer velocity of up to 20% are observed during times of strong insolation and low wind speeds (<6 m s⁻¹); the greatest enhancement from w_*w to the CO₂ flux occurs when diurnal warming is large. Hence, air–sea fluxes of CO₂ calculated using simple parameterizations underestimate the contribution from convective processes. The results support the need for parameterizations of gas transfer that are based on more than wind speed alone and include information about the heat budget.     

Benthic primary production, respiration and remineralisation: in situ measurements in the soft-bottom Abra alba community of the western English Channel (North Brittany)

In situ measurements of ammonium and carbon dioxide fluxes were performed using benthic chambers at the end of spring and the end of summer in two soft-bottom Abra alba communities of the western English Channel (North Brittany): the muddy sand community (5 m, about 10% of surface irradiance) and the fine-sand community (19 m, about 1% of surface irradiance). High rates of ammonium regeneration were measured in the two communities at the end of summer (296.03±40.07 and 201.7±62.74 μmolN m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively) as well as high respiration rates (2.60±0.94 and 2.23±0.59 mmolC m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively). Significant benthic gross primary production (up to 6.11 mmolC m⁻² h⁻¹) was measured in the muddy sand community but no benthic primary production was measured in the fine-sand community. It suggests that microphytobenthic production values used in simulations previously published for these two communities were overestimated while values of community respiration were underestimated. The study confirms that this benthic system is heterotrophic and strengthens the idea that an important pelagic-benthic coupling is required for the functioning in such coastal ecosystems.     

南沙珊瑚礁对大气CO2含量上升的响应

本文利用南沙海域的碳酸盐化学以及相关调查资料，分析了表层CaCO3饱和度的分布特征，通过碳酸盐的热力学计算模式，定量评估了未来大气CO2增加对表层CaCO3饱和度的潜在影响，利用CaCO3饱和度与珊瑚钙化速率的经验关系式，进一步预测了珊瑚礁对大气CO2上升可能产生的生物地球化学响应．初步结果显示，工业革命前至2100年，南沙海域的CaCO3饱和度将下降43％左右，从而将引起珊瑚礁的平均钙化速率减少33％．如果未来大气CO2浓度继续保持目前的上升趋势，南沙海域珊瑚礁可能会停止生长，甚至某些造礁生物面，临灭绝的危险．     

Optimization and modeling of boric acid extraction from colemanite in water saturated with carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide gases

In this study, the boric acid extraction from colemanite ore in aqueous media saturated by CO₂ and SO₂ gases was studied and the effects of relevant parameters, namely; reaction temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, mean particle size, stirring speed and reaction time have been investigated on the boric acid extraction from colemanite ore by using the fractional factorial design and central composite design methods. The chosen experimental parameter levels were as follows: reaction temperature, 11.4–58.6 °C; solid-to-liquid ratio, 0.0685–0.1315 g/mL; mean particle size, 0.2835–3 mm; stirring speed, 107–893 rpm; reaction time, 7.125–22.875 min. A model has been developed between the boric acid extraction efficiency from colemanite ore and relevant parameters by means of variance analysis by using the matlab computer software and the obtained model was used to determine optimum conditions. The optimum conditions were found to be as follows: reaction temperature, 41 °C; solid-to-liquid ratio, 0.0685 g/mL; mean particle size, 0.2835 mm; stirring speed, 266 rpm; reaction time, 7 min. The calculated boric acid extraction efficiency from colemanite ore was approximately 99.9% under the optimum conditions.     

The last lavas erupted during the main phase of the Siberian flood volcanic province: results from experimental petrology

The final lavas of the Siberian flood basalts are a ∼1,000 m thick section of meimechites, high-alkali, high-titanium, hydrous lavas that contrast sharply with the tholeiites that precede them. This paper presents a phase equilibrium study indicating that a candidate primary meimechite magma with 1 wt% water originated at ∼5.5 GPa and 1,700°C, both hotter and shallower than other estimates for melting beneath continental lithosphere. The experiments also suggest that a higher volatile content was involved in meimechite source genesis. Both the absence of orthopyroxene in any experiment and the close field association with carbonatites suggest that the meimechite source region may have been metasomatized with a CO₂-rich fluid. A small additional quantity of CO₂ and water would move magma origination to ∼1,550–1,600°C.     

A theoretical model for gas adsorption-induced coal swelling

Swelling and shrinkage (volumetric change) of coal during adsorption and desorption of gas is a well-known phenomenon. For coalbed methane recovery and carbon sequestration in deep, unminable coal beds, adsorption-induced coal volumetric change may cause significant reservoir permeability change. In this work, a theoretical model is derived to describe adsorption-induced coal swelling at adsorption and strain equilibrium. This model applies an energy balance approach, which assumes that the surface energy change caused by adsorption is equal to the elastic energy change of the coal solid. The elastic modulus of the coal, gas adsorption isotherm, and other measurable parameters, including coal density and porosity, are required in this model. Results from the model agree well with experimental observations of swelling. It is shown that the model is able to describe the differences in swelling behaviour with respect to gas species and at very high gas pressures, where the coal swelling ratio reaches a maximum then decreases. Furthermore, this model can be used to describe mixed-gas adsorption induced-coal swelling, and can thus be applied to CO₂-enhanced coalbed methane recovery.     

Depth of volcanic basalt degassing forecasted from CO2 fluid inclusions

Fluid inclusions have recorded the history of degassing in basalt. Some fluid inclusions in olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts of basalt were analyzed by micro-thermometry and Raman spectroscopy in this paper. The experimental results showed that many inclusions are present almost in a pure CO2 system. The densities of some CO2 inclusions were computed in terms of Raman spectroscopic characteristics of CO2 Fermi resonance at room temperature. Their densities change over a wide range, but mainly between 0.044 g/cm3 and 0.289 g/cm3. Their micro-thermometric measurements showed that the CO2 inclusions examined reached homogenization between 1145.5℃ and 1265℃ . The mean value of homogenization temperatures of CO2 inclusions in basalts is near 1210℃. The trap pressures (depths) of inclusions were computed with the equation of state and computer program. Distribution of the trap depths makes it know that the degassing of magma can happen over a wide pressure (depth) range, but mainly at the depth of 0.48 km to 3.85 km. This implicates that basalt magma experienced intensive degassing and the CO2 gas reservoir from the basalt magma also may be formed in this range of depths. The results of this study showed that the depth of basalt magma degassing can be forecasted from CO2 fluid inclusions, and it is meaningful for understanding the process of magma degassing and constraining the inorganogenic CO2 gas reservoir.     

钛铁矿中二氧化硅的硅钼蓝分光光度法测定

用氢氧化钠-过氧化钠混合熔剂分解样品，酸提取后加入亚硫酸钠水浴加热消除过氧化氢和大量钛的干扰，硅钼蓝分光光度法快速测定钛铁矿中二氧化硅的含量。经国家一级标准物质分析验证，结果与标准值相符，相对标准偏差（RSD，n=7）为0．34％～2．24％。     

High-density early CO2 fluids in the ultrahigh-temperature granulites of Ihouhaouene (In Ouzzal, Algeria)

Fluid inclusion studies in rocks from the Lower Proterozoic granulites from western Hoggar (Algeria) provide new evidence for the hypothesis that a CO₂-rich, H₂O-poor fluid was present during the high-grade metamorphism. CO₂ inclusions represent the main fluid trapped in the Ihouhaouene ultrahigh-temperature (over 1000 °C) and high-pressure (10 to 14 kbar) granulites. The microthermometric and Raman microspectrometric measurements indicate that the carbonic fluid is mainly composed of CO₂ with minor amounts of CH₄ and N₂ detected in some inclusions (< 4 mol% CH₄). Carbonic fluid densities range from 1.18 to 0.57 g/cm³. The highest densities are recorded in superdense carbonic inclusions presenting evidence of the earliest trapping and they correspond to the fluid densities expected for the P–T conditions of the peak of metamorphism in the area previously determined from mineral geothermobarometers. Lower densities of carbonic fluids mainly result from the reequilibration of earlier trapped fluid inclusions during retrograde metamorphism and final uplift of the metamorphic terrane, but a new influx of carbonic fluids during the retrograde event remains possible. Carbonic fluids can be produced in situ from decarbonation reactions in interlayered impure marbles during the prograde event or derived from CO₂ flushing from underlying basic intrusions. The aqueous fluids present large variations of composition (0.5 to 30 wt.% NaCl equivalent) and densities (1.16 to 0.57 g/cm³). They clearly correspond to post-metamorphic fluids because they mainly occur along microfractures, they do not show any evidence of immiscibility with the carbonic fluids and mixed aquo-carbonic inclusions have not been observed. The percolation of aqueous fluids is related to the Pan-African tectonometamorphic event.     

Anomalous Diffuse CO2 Emission prior to the January 2002 Short-term Unrest at San Miguel Volcano, El Salvador, Central America

On January 16, 2002, short-term unrest occurred at San Miguel volcano. A gas-and-steamash plume rose a few hundred meters above the summit crater. An anomalous microseismicity pattern, about 75 events between 7:30 and 10:30 hours, was also observed. Continuous monitoring of CO₂ efflux on the volcano started on November 24, 2001, in the attempt to provide a multidisciplinary approach for its volcanic surveillance. The background mean of the diffuse CO₂ emission is about 16 g m^-2 d^-1, but a 17- fold increase, up to 270 g m^-2 d^-1, was detected on January 7, nine days before the January 2002 short-term unrest at San Miguel volcano. These observed anomalous changes on diffuse CO₂ degassing could be related to either a sharp increase of CO₂ pressure within the volcanic-hydrothermal system or degassing from an uprising fresh gas-rich magma within the shallow plumbing system of the volcano since meteorological fluctuations cannot explain this observed increase of diffuse CO₂ emission.