Investigation of the impact of salt and sand harvesting activities on the Timboni well field, Gongoni, Malindi District, Kenya

 The area studied is a north–south oriented, V-shaped, clayey lagoonal depression bordered by Pleistocene sands on the west and Recent dune sands on the east. The freshwater aquifer in the area is the main source of potable water for the urban centres of Gongoni and Timboni and the main Mombasa Salt Works processing plant. The aim of the study was to look at the impact of sand harvesting, and possible saline contamination of the aquifer by activities at the nearby salt harvesting plant and by seawater intrusion. The major factor abetting pollution of the freshwater aquifer is the sand harvesting activity, which exposes the aquifer to the atmosphere. Extension of the salt works closer to the aquifer field, combined with high abstraction rates, may also lead to saline water intrusion and contamination of the aquifer. Received: 6 April 1999 · Accepted: 23 May 2000     

A high sensitivity, low volume HPLC method to determine soluble reactive phosphate in freshwater and saltwater

A reverse phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was developed to detect soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) in marine and freshwater samples. This technique is scalable over a range of sample volumes from 10 μl to 10 ml, requires minimal sample preparation, and responds linearly from 1 nM to 100 μM (R²>0.964). Standard Murphy–Riley molybdenum blue reagents were used to react with phosphate in samples for analysis. Solid phase extraction tubes were used to clean the mixed complexing reagent prior to combining the reagent with samples. The method was applied to freshwater samples collected in July 2001 along an Andean mountain stream located in the Eastern Cordillera (2400 m) of Peru and marine samples collected in January 2002 within the low marsh of the estuarine Nueces Delta System, Texas Coastal Bend. For method comparison, field samples were analyzed using a standard manual spectrophotometric method. Field sample phosphate concentrations produced from each method were nearly identical. This method offers the advantages of low sample volume (1 ml or less) with high sensitivity, precision, and potential automation.     

Sources and distribution of fresh water in the East Greenland Current

Fresh water flowing from the Arctic Ocean via the East Greenland Current influences deep water formation in the Nordic Seas as well as the salinity of the surface and deep waters flowing from there. This fresh water has three sources: Pacific water (relatively fresh cf. Atlantic water), river runoff, and sea ice meltwater. To determine the relative amounts of the three sources of fresh water, in May 2002 we collected water samples across the East Greenland Current in sections from 81.5°N to the Irminger Sea south of Denmark Strait. We used nitrate-phosphate relationships to distinguish Pacific waters from Atlantic waters, salinity to obtain the sum of sea ice melt water and river runoff water, and total alkalinity to distinguish the latter. River runoff contributed the largest part of the total fresh water component, in some regions with some inventories exceeding 12 m. Pacific fresh water (Pacific source water S ∼ 32 cf. Atlantic source water S ∼ 34.9) typically provided about 1/3 of the river runoff contribution. Sea ice meltwater was very nearly non-existent in the surface waters of all sections, likely at least in part as a result of the samples being collected before the onset of the melt season. The fresh water from the Arctic Ocean was strongly confined to near the Greenland coast. We thus conjecture that the main source of fresh water from the Arctic Ocean most strongly impacting deep convection in the Nordic Seas would be sea ice as opposed to fresh water in the liquid phase, i.e., river runoff, Pacific fresh water, and sea ice meltwater.     

Paleoecological analysis of molluscan assemblages in two marl deposits in Waterloo Region, southwestern Ontario, Canada

Mollusc assemblages were studied in two marl deposits at Kitchener and Cambridge, in southwestern Ontario. Lacking datable terrestrial plant material, a chronology was determined by pollen analysis. Similarities in mollusc assemblages and changes allowed five equivalent mollusc assemblage zones to be identified in the two deposits, spanning approximately 12 to 7 ka. In total, 34 mollusc taxa were identified, with 19 common to both sites. Overall, the most abundant taxa were Valvata spp., Gyraulus parvus, Pisidium casertanum, and P. ferrugineum. Terrestrial molluscs (four taxa) were rare. Overall, cool, shallow water with abundant vegetation and quiet conditions were indicated. At around 9 ka, a marked decrease in mollusc abundance and diversity, but relatively stable percentages, is noted at both sites. We speculate this was caused by an increase in sedimentation rate, perhaps caused by a brief warming.Inconsistencies in assemblages at marl sites may be partly attributable to sampling, but a chance factor in dispersal is also suggested. A minimum of two sampling sites at a given sedimentation basin, nearshore and mid-basin, are recommended to maximize assessment of assemblages. More detailed data from living molluscs are needed to enhance paleoenvironmental interpretations.     

New insights into the spatial variability of the surface water carbon dioxide in varying sea ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean

In the summer of 2005, continuous surface water measurements of fugacity of CO₂ (fCO₂^sw), salinity and temperature were performed onboard the IB Oden along the Northwest Passage from Cape Farwell (South Greenland) to the Chukchi Sea. The aim was to investigate the importance of sea ice and river runoff on the spatial variability of fCO₂ and the sea–air CO₂ fluxes in the Arctic Ocean. Additional data was obtained from measurements of total alkalinity (A_T) by discrete surface water and water column sampling in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), on the Mackenzie shelf, and in the Bering Strait. The linear relationship between A_T and salinity was used to evaluate and calculate the relative fractions of sea ice melt water and river runoff along the cruise track. High-frequency fCO₂^sw data showed rapid changes, due to variable sea ice conditions, freshwater addition, physical upwelling and biological processes. The fCO₂^sw varied between 102 and 678 μatm. Under the sea ice in the CAA and the northern Chukchi Sea, fCO₂^sw were largely CO₂ undersaturated of approximately 100 μatm lower than the atmospheric level. This suggested CO₂ uptake by biological production and limited sea–air CO₂ gas exchange due to the ice cover. In open areas, such as the relatively fresh water of the Mackenzie shelf and the Bering Strait, the fCO₂^sw values were close to the atmospheric CO₂ level. Upwelling of saline and relatively warm water at the Cape Bathurst caused a dramatic fCO₂^sw increase of about 100 μatm relative to the values in the CAA. At the southern part of the Chukchi Peninsula we found the highest fCO₂^sw values and the water was CO₂ supersaturated, likely due to upwelling. In the study area, the calculated sea–air CO₂ flux varied between an oceanic CO₂ sink of 140 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ and an oceanic source of 18 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹. However, in the CAA and the northern Chukchi Sea, the sea ice cover prevented gas exchange, and the CO₂ fluxes were probably negligible at this time of the year. Assuming that the water was exposed to the atmosphere by total melting and gas exchange would be the only process, the CO₂ undersaturated water in the ice-covered areas will not have the time to reach the atmospheric CO₂ value, before the formation of new sea ice. This study highlights the value of using high-frequency measurements to gain increased insight into the variable and complex conditions, encountered on the shelves in the Arctic Ocean.     

Horizontal and seasonal patterns of tropical zooplankton from the eutrophic Prado Reservoir (Colombia)

Zooplankton community analyses can reveal valuable information about the trophic status and secondary production in reservoirs. The zooplankton seasonal distribution and important physical and chemical parameters in Prado Reservoir (Tolima, Central Colombia) were studied in monthly surveys throughout a hydrological cycle (February 2000-January 2001) in order to establish seasonal patterns and the biotic and abiotic relationships for the reservoir. Surface zooplankton collections at 1 m depth were taken at six sampling stations with regard to reservoir morphometry, location of main tributaries and mixing areas of the incoming tributaries. Cladocerans numerically dominated (48.1%) the community throughout the study period followed by Copepoda (32.7%), Rotifera (19.1%), and Diptera larvae (0.01%). Among the cladocerans, there was a greater abundance of Bosmina longirostris (69.8%) than other crustaceans. Among the Rotifera, Brachionus falcatus was the most abundant with 23% and Keratella tropica was least abundant with 8%. The only cyclopoid species found was Thermocyclops decipiens. The phantom midge Chaoborus sp. was also part of the zooplankton community. Based on numbers, cladocerans represented a significant component of the zooplankton in both dry and rainy seasons. Four species (Brachionus spp., K. tropica, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Ceriodaphnia cornuta, Moina sp., and T. decipiens) had never previously been found in the reservoir, but were recorded for other standing Colombian water bodies. The replacement of B. longirostris instead of Daphnia sp. as dominant species was observed. The results of the comparison of the different studies confirmed that the trophic state of this artificial lake may be classified as eutrophic, and in general, physical, and chemical homogeneity were observed both spatially and temporally.     

Paleoenvironmental significance of a new species of freshwater sponge from the Late Miocene Quillagua Formation (N Chile)

This paper reports the first fossil (Tertiary) occurrence of freshwater sponges of the genus Ephydatia in the southern hemisphere. The sponges appear in diatomite lacustrine sediments of Late Miocene Quillagua Formation (Chile, Atacama region). The investigated specimens represent a new species, Ephydatia chileana sp. nov., which is close to the Recent cosmopolitan E. fluviatilis. On the basis of sedimentological and diatom assemblage data, sponge-bearing diatomites have been interpreted as deposited in open offshore shallow lacustrine conditions with slightly alkaline waters. The sponges show malformations, similar to some diatoms and probably caused by high heavy metal concentrations in a lake water. These concentrations are related to hydrothermal activity, which favored the leaching of volcanic rocks that outcrop extensively in the catchment.     

广西喀斯特洞穴蛹状螺科一新种记述（腹足纲，新进腹足亚纲，古扭舌目）

中国的蛹状螺科（Pupinidae）迄今共报道5属,分别为拇指螺属（Pollicaria A.A. Gould, 1856、拟圆口螺属（Pseudopomatias Möllendorff, 1885）、蛹状螺属（Pupina Vignard, 1829）、小蛹螺属（Pupinella Gray, 1850）、象蛹螺属（Rhaphaulus L. Pfeiffer, 1856）和裂唇螺属（Coptocheilus Gould, 1862） （ = Schistoloma Kobelt, 1902）。除拟圆口螺属和裂唇螺属有过详细整理报道外,其他各属物种仍缺乏研究。本文对中国小蛹螺属（Pupinella）进行了分类整理。本属此前共记录3种,即具槽小蛹螺（P. sulcatus）,台湾小蛹螺（P. swinhoei）和梅山小蛹螺（P. masuhowaruensis）,仅分布于广西和台湾。笔者在整理由华南农业大学田明义教授洞穴考察团队在广西壮族自治区河池市都安瑶族自治县一喀斯特洞穴中采集的陆生贝类时,经鉴定发现小蛹螺属一新种,即田氏小蛹螺（Pupinella tiani sp. nov.）,因其壳体具蛹状管、无内沟槽、壳表肋纹明显及壳口窦开放等特征而与本属其他物种区分。根据壳体形态特征,分布于云南的勐仑蛹状螺（Pupina menglunensis） 被转移到本属,并认为Pupinella frednaggsi为其一新异名。此外,还提供了中国小螺属分种检索表。田氏小蛹螺新种 （Pupinella tiani Z.-Y. Chen, sp. nov.）模式标本：正模,广西壮族自治区河池市都安瑶族自治县龙湾乡琴棋村一号洞,23°52′19′′N,108°16′02′′E,海拔466 m,2013年12月24日,田明义、刘卫欣、尹昊旻、罗孝竹采集。副模：2个,采集信息同正模。正副模标本均保存于河北大学动物博物馆软体动物馆藏中。测量：正模标本,壳高：11.30 mm,壳宽：4.62 mm,壳口直径：3.80 mm。副模标本（n=2）,壳高：11.24~11.38 mm,壳宽：4.50~4.56 mm,壳口直径：3.64~3.82 mm。词源学：本种名源自标本主要采集人田明义教授。描述：贝壳小型,高圆锥形,有6.5个浅色且稍有光泽的螺层。胚螺层约有2.5个,粗糙,边界与下部螺层较难明显区分。主螺层有细而规则的肋纹,肋纹随着螺层的增加而逐渐明显,体螺层上每1 mm有15个肋纹;体螺层的腹侧稍扁平;壳口圆形,平直;唇缘外扩,白瓷色,边缘被一腔襞沟槽和一近壳轴沟槽;腔襞沟槽和壳轴沟槽为半圆形的开放槽,不形成管状。壳轴缺沟槽与基部龙骨相对应,在胼胝处消失。脐孔狭窄。厣形态未知。描别：本种因其开放的沟槽和壳轴沟槽内管阙如而与中国其他物种区分。台湾小蛹螺与本种在尺寸和外形上最相近,但新种可通过其细尖的壳顶和不具双唇结构而于前者区分。详见正文的检索表。附记：本种仅知分布于模式产地。模式标本从洞口土样中分离,同时发现的有微拟沼螺属（Acmella W.T Blanford, 1969）的标本。     

Ecophysiological Studies on Size-fractionated Phytoplankton Populations by Tracer Technique in Wadi el Majanin Dam,Libya

Wadi el Majanin, one of the largest hydraulic structures in Libya was studied for ecophysiological aspects in relation to ambient environment. The waterbody is alkaline (pH=7.2) and characteristic of hydrogen-carbonate (144.8 mg L^–1 CaCO₃) system. Vertical extinction coefficients (> 4.8) indicate very high (biogenic) turbidity. Conspicuous variations of a quantitative kind in algal development (e.g., Pediastrum bloom) together with abundant diatom populations (chlorococcales-diatom assemblage), apart from very common occurrence of cyanobacteria and euglenoids show eutrophic water condition. Winter-summer alternation induced pronounced seasonal variability in the rates of in situ planktonic algal photosynthetic activities (285.7...1305 mg m^–3 d^–1 C). Dark fixation activity, attributed largely to bacterial production, oscillated by order of 2-fold magnitude, characterized by summer maxima (47.6 mg m^–3 d^–1 C). Size-fractional analysis established that smaller forms (< 60 μm), broadly regarded nanno-phytoplankton, frequently dominated (c. 70%) overall algal productivity.