Quantity, composition, and source of sediment collected in sediment traps along the fringing coral reef off Molokai, Hawaii

Sediment traps were used to evaluate the frequency, cause, and relative intensity of sediment mobility/resuspension along the fringing coral reef off southern Molokai (February 2000-May 2002). Two storms with high rainfall, floods, and exceptionally high waves resulted in sediment collection rates>1000 times higher than during non-storm periods, primarily because of sediment resuspension by waves. Based on quantity and composition of trapped sediment, floods recharged the reef flat with land-derived sediment, but had a low potential for burying coral on the fore reef when accompanied by high waves. The trapped sediments have low concentrations of anthropogenic metals. The magnetic properties of trapped sediment may provide information about the sources of land-derived sediment reaching the fore reef. The high trapping rate and low sediment cover indicate that coral surfaces on the fore reef are exposed to transient resuspended sediment, and that the traps do not measure net sediment accumulation on the reef surface.     

Estuarine and coastal connectivity of an estuarine-dependent fishery species,Pomadasys commersonnii (Haemulidae)

Understanding the level of connectivity between estuarine and coastal waters is essential for appropriate management of estuarine-associated taxa. Most studies have focused on the role of a single estuary, while limited research exists on the importance of multiple estuaries to individuals of estuarine-associated species. This study used acoustic telemetry to assess the usage of multiple estuaries and coastal waters by the estuarine-dependent spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii. Twenty-six adult fish were tagged with acoustic transmitters in the Kariega and Bushmans estuaries, South Africa, and their movements along a 300-km stretch of Indian Ocean coastline were monitored for up to 17 months. Tagged individuals spent most of their time in the estuary where they were tagged (55% and 85% for fish tagged in the two estuaries, respectively), followed by time in the sea (30% and 15%) and in other estuaries (15% and <1%). The mean durations of sea trips for fish tagged in the Kariega Estuary or Bushmans Estuary, respectively, were 25 days (range 3–55) and 12 days (range 2–22). Of the fish that went to sea, 93% from the Kariega Estuary and 60% from the Bushmans Estuary visited other estuaries. Most visits were undertaken to the Swartkops, Bushmans and Kowie estuaries, although the longest durations were spent in the Sundays Estuary. Individuals moved to estuaries up to 130 km away. The total distance travelled between estuaries by an individual during the study was ～529 km, with means of 201 and 184 km, respectively, for fish tagged in the Kariega and Bushmans estuaries. Despite covering large distances between estuaries, individuals often returned to their tagging estuary. Residency in their tagging estuary, combined with frequent visits to a neighbouring estuary, highlights the importance of estuarine habitats for this popular fish species, even after reaching maturity.     

The effect of the new Massachusetts Bay sewage outfall on the concentrations of metals and bacterial spores in nearby bottom and suspended sediments

Since the new outfall for Boston's treated sewage effluent began operation on September 6, 2000, no change has been observed in concentrations of silver or Clostridium perfringens spores (an ecologically benign tracer of sewage), in bottom sediments at a site 2.5 km west of the outfall. In suspended sediment samples collected with a time-series sediment trap located 1.3 km south of the outfall, silver and C. perfringens spores increased by 38% and 103%, respectively, in post-outfall samples while chromium, copper, and zinc showed no change. All metal concentrations in sediments are <50% of warning levels established by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. An 11-year data set of bottom sediment characteristics collected three times per year prior to outfall startup provides perspective for the interpretation of post-outfall data. A greater than twofold increase in concentrations of sewage tracers (silver and C. perfringens) was observed in muddy sediments following the exceptional storm of December 11-16, 1992 that presumably moved contaminated inshore sediment offshore.     

Characteristics of resuspended sediment from Georges Bank collected with a sediment trap

A sediment trap was deployed 3 m from the bottom at a water depth of 62 m on the southern flank of Georges Bank (41°02·2′N, 67°33·5′W) from 30 September 1978 to 10 March 1979 to qualitatively determine the size of sediments resuspended from the bottom by winter storms and to determine if seasonal changes in the phytoplankton could be observed in the trapped sediment.Bulk X-ray analyses of the trapped sediment showed layers of distinctly different textures preserved in the collection vessel. The median grain size of sampled layers ranged from 2·7 to 6·5 φ (fine sand to silt), but all layers contained a pronounced mode in the 3 φ (fine sand) range. Nine layers containing relatively large amounts of sand were present. The sand content was 75% in the coarest layers and about 32% in the fine layers. The median grain size of bottom sediments at the deployment site was considerably coarser than the trap samples, although the dominant grain size was also 3 φ.Average bottom-current speeds during the deployment period were about 30 cm s^?1 with a range of 10 to 50 cm s^?1. Bottom stress, computed from the observed currents and waves, suggest that 11 storms caused sufficient stress to resuspend 3 φ-sized sediments, in good agreement with the nine layers of relatively coarse sediments collected in the trap. Surface waves had to be included in the calculation of bottom stress because the bottom currents alone were insufficient to cause the resuspension of 3 φ-sized sediment.The trapped sediments contain numerous diatoms and coccoliths that are typical of late fall and winter assemblages. No clear seasonal difference in the flora was noted among sampled layers, probably due to the large influx of resuspended material and a reduced primary flux during this period. An undescribed species of Thalassiosira (G. Fryxell, personal communication), and siliceous scales of unknown systematic position were observed at all levels.     

豫西沙沟脉状Ag-Pb-Zn矿床地质特征和成矿流体研究

豫西沙沟薄脉状Ag-Pb-Zn硫化物矿床位于华北陆块南缘熊耳山地区,主要由多金属硫化物-石英-碳酸盐脉型和石英-碳酸盐-绢云母-多金属硫化物蚀变岩型两种矿化类型组成。主要矿脉的矿物共生序列可以分为成矿前的石英-黄铁矿阶段(Ⅰ)、闪锌矿-石英-方铅矿-少量银矿物阶段(Ⅱ1)、方铅矿-石英-闪锌矿-含铁白云石-银矿物阶段(Ⅱ2)和成矿后的方解石-(石英)阶段(Ⅲ)。对不同阶段的成矿流体研究表明,石英-黄铁矿阶段(Ⅰ)中的含氯化钠子晶三相(LVH)包裹体(Ⅰ1)可能是直接从饱和水的结晶岩浆熔体中出溶形成或是由岩浆流体的减压沸腾形成,显示该区很可能存在岩浆流体端元。多金属硫化物阶段(Ⅱ1Ⅱ2)捕获富液相包裹体(LV型)和个别CO2包裹体(C型),这两个阶段流体包裹体反映了主成矿阶段流体的基本特征,结合包裹体气相和液相成分色谱分析以及包裹体初融温度,认为成矿流体应该为中-低温低盐度含CO2的H2O-NaCl体系。其中,阶段(Ⅱ2)的均一温度(145～288℃,平均为194℃)比阶段(Ⅱ1)的均一温度(185～357℃,平均240℃)低46℃;同时,阶段(Ⅱ2)的盐度(1.91%～10.86%,平均6.38%)较阶段(Ⅱ1)盐度(4.65%～10.11%,平均7.77%)略低。对这一温度和盐度的总体下降趋势的合理解释是大气水的逐渐混入。多金属硫化物阶段(Ⅱ1Ⅱ2)之后的方解石-(石英)阶段普遍为富液相包裹体(LV型),该阶段显著降低的温度(129～208℃,平均165℃)和盐度(1.40%～4.03%,平均2.50%),进一步佐证大气水的不断混入。而且,流体混合可能在引起矿石矿物从热液中沉淀方面起到重要作用。     

Bioturbation depths, rates and processes in Massachusetts Bay sediments inferred from modeling of Pb and Pu profiles

Profiles of ²¹⁰Pb and ^{239 + 240}Pu from sediment cores collected throughout Massachusetts Bay (water depths of 36–192 m) are interpreted with the aid of a numerical sediment-mixing model to infer bioturbation depths, rates and processes. The nuclide data suggest extensive bioturbation to depths of 25–35 cm. Roughly half the cores have ²¹⁰Pb and ^{239 + 240}Pu profiles that decrease monotonically from the surface and are consistent with biodiffusive mixing. Bioturbation rates are reasonably well constrained by these profiles and vary from 0.7 to 40 cm² yr⁻¹. As a result of this extensive reworking, however, sediment ages cannot be accurately determined from these radionuclides and only upper limits on sedimentation rates (of 0.3 cm yr⁻¹) can be inferred. The other half of the radionuclide profiles are characterized by subsurface maxima in each nuclide, which cannot be reproduced by biodiffusive mixing models. A numerical model is used to demonstrate that mixing caused by organisms that feed at the sediment surface and defecate below the surface can cause the subsurface maxima, as suggested by previous work. The deep penetration depths of excess ²¹⁰Pb and ^{239 + 240}Pu suggest either that the organisms release material over a range of >15 cm depth or that biodiffusive mixing mediated by other organisms is occurring at depth. Additional constraints from surficial sediment ²³⁴Th data suggest that in this half of the cores, the vast majority of the present-day flux of recent, nuclide-bearing material to these core sites is transported over a timescale of a month or more to a depth of a few centimeters below the sediment surface. As a consequence of the complex mixing processes, surface sediments include material spanning a range of ages and will not accurately record recent changes in contaminant deposition.     

Ecosystem service values of sediment generation and entrapment by marginal coral reefs at Sodwana Bay,South Africa

Coral reefs provide a multitude of goods and services, some of which are difficult to value due to their intangible nature and the absence of markets to ascribe their relative worth. The coral reefs of Sodwana Bay on the northeast coast of South Africa provide several ecological goods and services, of which only two are considered here: namely, sediment generation and sediment entrapment. Both are deemed essential to the functioning of the Sodwana Bay economy. The replacement-cost method was used to estimate the annual financial cost of sediment provided to the study area if it were replaced by dredging. Sediment generation by the coral reefs was valued at R2.6–R4.8 million, and sediment entrapment valued at R71.8–R84.6 million, totalling between R74.4 million and R89.4 million (≈$5.6–$6.7 million, at R13.38/US$1) per year.     

Insights on geochemical cycling of U, Re and Mo from seasonal sampling in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, USA

This study examined the removal of U, Mo, and Re from seawater by sedimentary processes at a shallow-water site with near-saturation bottom water O₂ levels (240-380 μmol O₂/L), very high organic matter oxidation rates (annually averaged rate is 880 μmol C/cm²/y), and shallow oxygen penetration depths (4 mm or less throughout the year). Under these conditions, U, Mo, and Re were removed rapidly to asymptotic pore water concentrations of 2.2-3.3 nmol/kg (U), 7-13 nmol/kg (Mo), and 11-14 pmol/kg (Re). The depth order in which the three metals were removed, determined by fitting a diffusion-reaction model to measured profiles, was Re < U < Mo. Model fits also suggest that the Mo profiles clearly showed the presence of a near-interface layer in which Mo was added to pore waters by remineralization of a solid phase. The importance of this solid phase source of pore water Mo increased from January to October as the organic matter oxidation rate increased, bottom water O₂ decreased, and the O₂ penetration depth decreased. Experiments with in situ benthic flux chambers generally showed fluxes of U and Mo into the sediments. However, when the overlying water O₂ concentration in the chambers was allowed to drop to very low levels, Mn and Fe were released to the overlying water along with the simultaneous release of Mo and U. These experiments suggest that remineralization of Mn and/or Fe oxides may be a source of Mo and perhaps U to pore waters, and may complicate the accumulation of U and Mo in bioturbated sediments with high organic matter oxidation rates and shallow O₂ penetration depths.Benthic chamber experiments including the nonreactive solute tracer, Br⁻, indicated that sediment irrigation was very important to solute exchange at the study site. The enhancement of sediment-seawater exchange due to irrigation was determined for the nonreactive tracer (Br⁻), TCO₂, , U and Mo. The comparisons between these solutes showed that reactions within and around the burrows were very important for modulating the Mo flux, but less important for U. The effect of these reactions on Mo exchange was highly variable, enhancing Mo (and, to a lesser extent, U) uptake at times of relatively modest irrigation, but inhibiting exchange when irrigation rates were faster. These results reinforce the observation that Mo can be released to and removed from pore waters via sedimentary reactions.The removal rate of U and Mo from seawater by sedimentary reactions was found to agree with the rate of accumulation of authigenic U and Mo in the solid phase. The fluxes of U and Mo determined by in situ benthic flux chamber measurements were the largest that have been measured to date. These results confirm that removal of redox-sensitive metals from continental margin sediments underlying oxic bottom water is important, and suggest that continental margin sediments play a key role in the marine budgets of these metals.     

From regulated access to transferable harvesting rights: Policy insights from New Zealand

The dramatic decline in yields from many of the world's fisheries has prompted an assessment of traditional regulatory approaches to management. Transferable harvesting rights provide an alternative institutional structure in fisheries management. This paper has two aims. First, it links outcomes in the fishery with institutional structure. Second, the paper identifies several important institutional variables if a transition is to be made to from command-and-control management to tradeable rights. In particular, the transition phase must deal with the expectations that attach to the status quo structure of rights in the fishery. The paper's empirical content is drawn from New Zealand's experience with the introduction of transferable harvesting rights.