The speciation of dissolved copper,cadmium and zinc in Manila Bay,Philippines

At present, there is a very limited information on the levels and distribution of dissolved metals in Manila Bay. In this study, the horizontal and vertical distribution of operationally defined species (labile, bound and total) of dissolved copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) were determined using differential pulse anodic and cathodic stripping voltammetry in water samples obtained from 18 stations in November 1998. In addition, the 24-h variability in the concentrations of these species at different depths in the water column was determined. These measurements were complemented by the determination of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon and nutrients. Results showed that more than 50% of total dissolved copper and cadmium were labile while 50% of total dissolved zinc was organically bound. Vertical profiles showed that Cu, Cd and Zn concentrations were generally high at the surface. Zinc and cadmium were characterised by the presence of a mid-depth minimum while copper did not show any clear vertical trend.

Dissolved Cu concentrations during the spatial and diurnal samplings ranged from 0.32 to 6.95 nM and 1.52 to 45.65 nM, respectively. For Cd, the concentrations in 18 stations ranged from 0.05 to 2.92 nM, and from 0.03 to 2.42 nM over a 24-h period. Zn concentrations ranged from 2.48 to 147.43 nM and 2.87 to 88.27 nM during the spatial and diurnal samplings, respectively. The large variation in the concentration of Cu, Cd and Zn in the bay was observed to be associated with the presence of a large vertical density gradient in the water column, which appeared to limit the exchange of materials between the surface and bottom waters. Elevated levels of these metals near point sources suggest anthropogenic inputs in the bay.     

Nutrient-Replete Benthic Microalgae as a Source of Dissolved Organic Carbon to Coastal Waters

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux dynamics were examined in the context of other biogeochemical cycles in intertidal sediments inhabited by benthic microalgae. In August 2003, gross oxygenic photosynthetic (GOP) rates, oxygen penetration depths, and benthic flux rates were quantified at seven sites along the Duplin River, GA, USA. Sediments contained abundant benthic microalgal (BMA) biomass with a maximum chlorophyll a concentration of 201 mg chl a m^?2. Oxygen microelectrodes were used to determine GOP rates and O₂ penetration depth, which were tightly correlated with light intensity. Baseline and ¹⁵N-nitrate amended benthic flux core incubations were employed to quantify benthic fluxes and to investigate the impact of BMA on sediment water exchange under nitrogen (N)-limited and N-replete conditions. Unamended sediments exhibited tight coupling between GOP and respiration and served as a sink for water column dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and a source of silicate and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The BMA response to the N addition indicated sequential nutrient limitation, with N limitation followed by silicate limitation. In diel (light–dark) incubations, biological assimilation accounted for 83% to 150% of the nitrate uptake, while denitrification (DNF) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) accounted for <7%; in contrast, under dark conditions, DNF and DNRA accounted for >40% of the NO₃ ^? uptake. The N addition shifted the metabolic status of the sediments from a balance of autotrophy and heterotrophy to net autotrophy under diel conditions, and the sediments served as a sink for water column DIN, silicate, and DIC but became a source of DOC, suggesting that the increased BMA production was decoupled from sediment bacterial consumption of DOC.     

Chemical composition of primary cosmic rays with energies from 10 to 10 eV

The chemical composition of primary cosmic rays with energies from 10¹⁵ to 10^16.5 eV, so called “knee” region, is examined. We have observed the time structures of air Čerenkov light associated with air showers at Mt. Chacaltaya, Bolivia, since 1995. The distribution of a parameter that characterizes the observed time structures is compared with that calculated with a Monte Carlo technique for various chemical compositions. Then the energy dependence of the average logarithmic mass numbers ln A of the primary cosmic rays is determined. The present result at 10^15.3 eV is almost consistent with the result of JACEE (A12) and shows gradual increase in ln A as a function of the primary energy (A24 at 10¹⁶ eV). Form the comparison of the observational results with several theoretical models, we conclude that the supernova explosion of massive stars is a plausible candidate for the origin of cosmic rays around the “knee” region.     

Seismicity of the Prince William Sound Region for over Thirty Years Following the 1964 Great Alaskan Earthquake

—In this paper we present results of body wave-form modeling of 19 earthquakes (generally m _b ≥5.7) occurring from 1964 to 1983 in the vicinity and down-dip of the large asperity within the Prince William Sound region that ruptured in 1964. These data are supplemented with source parameters from studies of more recent (post-1980) events. Our results suggest that moderate earthquakes which occurred in the region between 1964 and 1984 were predominantly located in the vicinity of the Prince William Sound asperity and could be assigned to two groups. The first group consists of events occurring above the plate interface within Prince William Sound along reverse faults or low angle thrusts. The second group occurs at 35 to 60 km depth in the region north of Prince William Sound, and represents normal to normal-oblique faulting within the subducted Pacific crust or upper mantle. These earthquakes occur below the northern edge of the 1964 asperity in a region where the subducting plate undergoes a rapid change in strike and dip. A third group of events occurs in Cook Inlet well down-dip of the 1964 asperity and below the plate interface. These events exhibit a variety of mechanisms and many at depths of 50 to 70 km may be associated with complexities in the shape of the downgoing slab. Most of the Cook Inlet events occurred after 1984, whereas a few events of similar magnitude have occurred in the vicinity of the Prince William Sound asperity since 1984.     

A computationally efficient method for delineating irregularly shaped spatial clusters

In this paper, we present an efficiency improvement for the algorithm called AMOEBA, A Multidirectional Optimum Ecotope-Based Algorithm, devised by Aldstadt and Getis (Geogr Anal 38(4):327?C343, 2006). AMOEBA embeds a local spatial autocorrelation statistic in an iterative procedure in order to identify spatial clusters (ecotopes) of related spatial units. We provide an analysis of the computational complexity of the original AMOEBA and develop an alternative formulation that reduces computational time without losing optimality. Empirical evidence is provided using georeferenced socio-demographic data in Accra, Ghana.