Environmental Changes at the Desert Margin: An Assessment of Recent Paleolimnological Records in Lake Qarun, Middle Egypt

Lake Qarun has been profoundly affected by a combination of human activities and climatic changes during the past 5000 years. Instrumental records available for the 20th century show that during most of this period both lake water level and salinity increased and that by the late 1980s lake water salinity was approximately that of seawater. Sediment cores (c. 1 m long) were collected from this shallow (Z_max 8.4 m) saline lake in 1998 and the master core (QARU1) was used to examine the potential of paleolimnology for reconstructing the recent environmental history of the site. According to ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb radio-assay, the recent sediment accumulation rate in QARU1 was around 5 mm year⁻¹ during the latter half of the 20th century but radionuclide levels were low. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) were present in the upper c. 30 cm of QARU1 and indicates contamination by low level particulate pollution, probably beginning around 1950. The record of exotic pollen (Casuarina) indicated that sediment at 51–52 cm depth dated to around 1930. Otherwise the pollen spectra indicated a strongly disturbed landscape with high ruderals and increased tree planting particularly since c. 1950. Diatom records were strongly affected by taphonomic processes including reworking and differential preservation but typical marine diatoms increased after the 1920s. Instrumental records show that the lake became more saline at this time. Freshwater taxa were present at approximately similar abundances throughout the core. This distribution probably reflected a combination of processes. Reworking of ancient freshwater diatomites is one likely source for freshwater diatoms in QARU1 but some taxa must also be contributed via the freshwater inflows. Overall, the diatom stratigraphy indicated increasingly salinity since the 1920s but provided no firm evidence of lake eutrophication. Diatom inferred salinity reconstructions were in only partial agreement with instrumental records but inferred for the lower section of the core (pre 20th century to the 1960s) accord with measured water salinity values. Surficial sediments of Lake Qarun contain environmental change records for the 20th century period but high sediment accumulation rate and pollen reflect the high degree of human disturbance in the region. Because of poor preservation and evidence of reworking, the relationships between diatom records and past water quality changes require careful interpretation, especially in the upper section of the core. Nevertheless, early to mid 20th century measurements of increasing lake water salinity are well supported by sediment records, a change that is probably linked to ingress of saline ground water     

吐哈盆地十红滩铀矿床水文地球化学特征

本文根据水化学资料的研究,探讨了十红滩铀矿床含矿含水层高矿化度地下水的成因,分析了高矿化度水对铀溶解迁移的影响及碳酸盐的形成机理.     

A high-resolution diatom reconstruction between 21,000 and 17,4000 14C yr BP from the southern Bolivian Altiplano (18–23°S)

A diatom study of lacustrine sediments in the southern part of the Bolivian Altiplano (Salar of Coipasa) provides a continuous record of the period 21,000–17,500 ¹⁴C yr BP. Constrained by seven AMS ¹⁴C dates, this record provides evidence that the Coipasa basin was filled by a shallow body of water during this time. Diatom/salinity and diatom/ionic composition transfer functions indicate that the lake was saline, dominated by sodium-chloride throughout all the period.A comparison with regional data shows that Lake Titicaca could not have overflowed towards the southern Bolivian Altiplano at that time. As this dry phase was not registered in Lake Coipasa, this lake was probably supplied by winter precipitation originating from the Pacific. But, recent data from the deep basin of Lake Titicaca show that the lake-level was higher during this time interval, and the question arises whether precipitation from Atlantic and Amazonia sources could have played an important role on the Altiplano during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This hypothesis needs to match other available paleoclimatic data from the lowlands of tropical South America, where there is evidence that during the LGM, conditions were drier than today. Global climate simulations suggest a positive P-E on the Altiplano, due to a strong cooling, reducing evaporative demand more than any increase in precipitations. An increase of winter precipitation from the Pacific is in agreement with data from the Chilean coast showing a northward locations of the Westerlies during the LGM. This paleoclimatic hypothesis is also in agreement with a coupled ocean-atmosphere model, which indicates weaker summer precipitation and stronger winter precipitation in the tropical areas.     

Modelling the effects of temperature and food on individual growth and reproduction of Daphnia and their consequences on the population level

Individual based simulations of population dynamics require the availability of growth models with adequate complexity. For this purpose a simple-to-use model (non-linear multiple regression approach) is presented describing somatic growth and reproduction of Daphnia as a function of time, temperature and food quantity. The model showed a good agreement with published observations of somatic growth (r² = 0.954, n = 88) and egg production (r² = 0.898, n = 35). Temperature is the main determinant of initial somatic growth and food concentration is the main determinant of maximal body length and clutch size. An individual based simulation was used to demonstrate the simultaneous effects of food and temperature on the population level. Evidently, both temperature and food supply affected the population growth rate but at food concentrations above approximately 0.4 mg Cl⁻¹ Scenedesmus acutus temperature appeared as the main determinant of population growth.

Four simulation examples are given to show the wide applicability of the model: (1) analysis of the correlation between population birth rate and somatic growth rate, (2) contribution of egg development time and delayed somatic growth to temperature-effects on population growth, (3) comparison of population birth rate in simulations with constant vs. decreasing size at maturity with declining food concentrations and (4) costs of diel vertical migration. Due to its plausible behaviour over a broad range of temperature (2–20 °C) and food conditions (0.1–4 mg Cl⁻¹) the model can be used as a module for more detailed simulations of Daphnia population dynamics under realistic environmental conditions.     

Ibex diggings in the Negev Desert highlands of Israel as microhabitats for annual plants. Soil salinity, location and digging depth affecting variety and density of plant species

About 400 Nubian ibex (Capra ibex nubiana) dig many hundreds of temporary night beds, approximately 80 cm × 110 cm and 15 cm deep, on slopes near the edges of the cliffs bordering the Zin valley. The beds are used according to the wind direction and the size of the ibex group, which depends on the ibex social behaviour during the year.The diggings are gradually abandoned and become important microhabitats for seed accumulation and germination, seedling development and annual plant establishment. These are influenced by soil salinity, slope direction and angle, digging depth, and the time since the diggings were abandoned. A greater variety of plant species and plant density were found in these diggings than upslope from the diggings.     

Space-time mapping of soil salinity using probabilistic bayesian maximum entropy

The mapping of saline soils is the first task before any reclamation effort. Reclamation is based on the knowledge of soil salinity in space and how it evolves with time. Soil salinity is traditionally determined by soil sampling and laboratory analysis. Recently, it became possible to complement these hard data with soft secondary data made available using field sensors like electrode probes. In this study, we had two data sets. The first includes measurements of field salinity (EC_a) at 413 locations and 19 time instants. The second, which is a subset of the first (13 to 20 locations), contains, in addition to EC_a, salinity determined in the laboratory (EC_2.5). Based on a procedure of cross-validation, we compared the prediction performance in the space-time domain of 3 methods: kriging using either only hard data (HK) or hard and mid interval soft data (HMIK), and Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) using probabilistic soft data. We found that BME was less biased, more accurate and giving estimates, which were better correlated with the observed values than the two kriging techniques. In addition, BME allowed one to delineate with better detail saline from non-saline areas.     

二价铁氧化对铁锰循环功能微生物活性的影响及机制

地质微生物是沉积环境中铁、锰氧化还原循环的主要驱动因子,铁锰共存环境中二价铁氧化对不同铁、锰循环功能微生物活性的影响差异和机制尚不清楚.以铁还原菌Shewanella oneidensis MR-1、铁氧化菌Pseudogulbenkiania sp.strain 2002、锰氧化菌Pseudomonas putida...     

三峡库区消落区表层沉积物磷吸附特征

以三峡库区消落区表层沉积物为研究对象,通过对干湿交替沉积物中磷的赋存形式、吸附等温曲线的分析,揭示了干湿交替过程中沉积物磷的分布规律、吸附特征以及磷的源汇变化。结果表明:上覆水总磷变化呈现11月总磷<5月总磷<8月总磷。消落区覆水到出露沉积物最大磷吸附量、土壤最大缓冲能力在增加,磷零吸持平衡浓度、易解吸磷在降低,表明沉积物在夏季出露落干的过程中,固磷能力增强,释磷能力减弱;消落区土壤首次覆水过程中土壤磷呈现出由源到汇的转变。成库初期,覆水时沉积物主要表现为磷的积累,次年水库开闸放水排沙时,消落区表层富磷沉积物被冲刷排出。     

Copepods in Hypersaline Waters Worldwide:Diversity,Environmental,Social,and Economic Roles

正1 Introduction Copepods are a group of small crustaceans,which play an important ecological role in aquatic ecosystems.They occupy different ecological niches in aquatic food webs,contributes to biogenic element cycles,and transfer of organic matter from primary producers to higher secondary consumers.Copepods also have the potential to     

川东北毛坝气藏含自然硫包裹体的发现及其地质意义

根据流体包裹体显微观察,均一温度、盐度测定和激光拉曼分析结果,毛坝气藏储层中存在多种类型包裹体,包括气液H20包裹体、烃一H20包裹体、气相烃包裹体、沥青包裹体和含自然硫气液H20包裹体。在含自然硫气液H20包裹体中,自然硫的特征激光拉曼峰值是151．1cm^1～、217．9em^1和473．3cm^1。根据包裹体的产状、分布以及组合特征,可将本区下三叠统储层流体包裹体划分为3期。晚成岩期方解石中气液H20包裹体均一温度变化范围为104～206°c,盐度为4．03％～19．29％NaCl。温度和盐度呈一定的负相关关系,反映随着成岩环境的埋藏深度增加,地层中孔隙水的温度趋于升高,同时烃类与流体中SO42发生热化学还原反应（TSR）,生成H2s和H20,使盐度降低。在区域抬升降温、降压期,由于外来流体的不均匀混合,流体温度、盐度进一步降低（均一温度为31～108℃,盐度为0．35％～4．03％NaCl）,在低温及硫主要以H2s形式存在的条件下,02与H2s反应生成大量自然硫。在自然硫形成过程中,随着温度的降低,pH值趋向于升高,lgf（02）趋向于降低。当温度为100℃时,自然硫在pH=2．9～3．4,lgf（02）=-50．61～-49．92的环境中形成;25℃时,自然硫形成于pH=1．9～6．5,lgf（02）=-69．30～-63．11的环境中。