Feeding of benthic foraminifera on diatoms and sewage-derived organic matter: an experimental application of lipid biomarker techniques

Foraminiferal ecology at sewage outfalls has been investigated in numerous field studies over the last 30 years. Foraminifera have been frequently used as biomonitors of sewage pollution since they are both abundant and ubiquitous. Sewage outfalls have been demonstrated to have both positive and negative effects on adjacent foraminiferal populations, but it has never been shown conclusively why sewage affects foraminifera in these ways. Such information on the impact mechanisms of sewage pollution is essential if foraminifera are to be used as sewage pollution biomonitors, and also to understand the ecology of these important protists. One possible cause of a positive effect is the direct consumption of sewage-derived particulate organic matter (POM) by the foraminifera themselves. However this hypothesis has never been tested experimentally. Here, lipid (fatty acid and sterol) biomarker techniques were applied to study the ingestion of two potential food items by the foraminiferan Haynesina germanica in the laboratory. An experiment was conducted to confirm that the laboratory conditions were conducive to the survival and feeding of the foraminifera. In this experiment, foraminifera were provided with the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, which was considered to be a suitable food source. After 2 weeks, a four-fold increase in the levels of the diatom fatty acid biomarker, 20:5(n-3), in the foraminifera suggested that they had fed actively on the diatoms and survived under the experimental conditions. These experimental conditions were used in the main experiment, where foraminifera were fed the POM from sewage. Lipid biomarker analysis indicated that H. germanica did not consume secondary treated sewage-derived POM. Neither fatty acid profiles in the sewage nor coprostanol, the diagnostic human faecal sterol, were detected in foraminifera after exposure to the potential sewage food source. However, foraminifera may have consumed bacteria associated with the sewage in the experiment. The findings are discussed in terms of current EU legislation on sewage treatment that has affected the composition of sewage discharges, and therefore possibly reduced the nutritive value of sewage to the marine benthos.     

Trophic accumulation and depuration of mercury by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum)

Mercury concentrations in blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) collected from an area of mercury-contaminated sediments in Lavaca Bay, TX, USA, are more than an order of magnitude greater than concentrations in penaeid shrimp from the same area. Laboratory feeding experiments using mercury-contaminated fish as food showed that both blue crabs and pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum) could accumulate mercury concentrations comparable to those in their food in 28 days. Calculated mercury assimilation efficiencies averaged 76% for blue crabs and 72% for pink shrimp. Significant depuration of mercury by blue crabs was not observed during a subsequent 28-day period, but pink shrimp lost mercury at a rate of about 0.012 day-1. Model calculations predict biomagnification factors of mercury of about two to three at steady state for both species. The large difference in observed concentrations of mercury in field-collected blue crabs and penaeid shrimp does not result from differences in efficiency of mercury assimilation from their food or from differences in excretion rates. It is more likely the result of differences in residence times in the contaminated area and of differences in feeding habits.     

苏比利尔省一个太古宙花岗质深成岩体中某碎裂带的发育:构造学、地球化学及地球物理学特征

在安大略Atikokan附近的Eye-Dashwa花岗岩深成岩体边缘相的角闪石英二长闪长岩中,ATK-6号钻孔在1090m垂深处见有一个4m宽的断裂带。该断裂带由四个主要的滑动面组成,每个滑动面宽达0.3m,平均产状182°/67°W,之间被网状次生断裂分隔。次生断裂与滑移面之夹角小于25°。该断层呈左行滑移。滑动面由碎裂变形的二长闪长岩构成(石英-角闪石-微斜长石-斜长石±榍石、磷灰石、锆石、钛磁铁矿)并广泛分布有新生矿物组合(赤铁矿-钠长石-绿泥石-绿帘石±葡萄石)。恢复结果表明,新生矿物组合由或至少部分由二长闪长岩的重结晶和各种蚀变生成,电子探针分析发现,围岩中原生浅闪石和奥长石(15—18An)在断裂带中10～12m的范围内逐渐变化,首先变为铁镁质闪石和钠质奥长石(10～13An),进一步变为铁透闪石质闪石或铁透闪石和钠长石(1～5An),最后变为阳起石和钠长石(0～2An)。断层中的绿帘石碎屑和微曲了的阳起石说明在主要构造运动发育前有强烈的蚀变。断裂带内外的绿泥石、绿帘石、葡萄石和微斜长石的成分相对均一。断裂带岩石随后的蚀变作用可以由(1)碎裂作用晚期到后期较长时间的结晶作用和(2)复活或张开的断裂带中低温岩石—水之间的相互作用产生。静态生长的葡萄石、绿泥石和赤铁矿,局部发育的重晶石+天青石、方解石+粘土(高岭石?)+绿泥石,广泛分布的钾长石和轻稀土元素及U的轻微富集,这些在某种程度上说明上述作用的存在。断裂作用发育于晚太古代或早元古代的绿片岩相条件下,推测压力2.5～3.5kb,温度325°～100℃。断裂带中岩石相对二长闪长岩具很低的磁化率说明钛磁铁矿的分解,相对较高的伽马值和U的中等集中反映微弱但广泛出现的放射性元素的富集。低电阻率、低流体电阻率和低声速、高自然电位说明断裂相对于围岩是电导性好且是透水的。     

东欧和中东岩石圈磁化率异常

一般的根据航磁异常来反演地壳磁化率差的反演方法是假设在整个所考虑的区域上核场是常数的,然而这个假设在具有几千公里伸范围的区域上是不成立的。本文研究了一种反演技术,它考虑了核场的变化,这既包括方向上的变化也包括强度上的变化。该技术也考虑了岩石圈内磁层的表面起伏。将该技术应用于东欧和中东的标量磁异常图卫星测量上,结果所得到的磁化率差图反映了该地区的主要构造特征。规模很小的前寒武地盾表现出高磁化率。阿尔卑斯—喜马拉雅造山带具有明显的磁特征。碰撞带是低磁化率区,而造山带内的大陆板块具有高磁化率。著名的库尔斯克含铁建造具有强磁化率高的特征。磁卫星已经在两个不同的地方时—黎明和黄昏测量了地球的磁场,得到两份独立的磁异常图。标量磁异常图是以这两份图的共有特征为基础绘制的。并且研究出了一种根据这两份图的相关频谱来选择那些共有特征的协方差技术。     

论西格陵兰依苏阿（Isua）上壳岩带3800Ma超镁铁质变质岩的成因

根据矿物组合,我们在依苏阿地区鉴别出四种超镁铁质岩石类型:(1)橄榄岩(橄榄石+绿泥石+透闪石±镁铁闪石/直闪石+铬磁铁矿±菱镁矿±白云石±黑云母,或橄榄石+斜方辉石+铝铬尖晶石/含铁铬铁矿+透闪石+绿泥石);(2)绿泥片岩(橄榄石+绿泥石+透闪石+镁铁闪石+铬磁铁矿);(3)滑石-菱镁矿片岩(滑石+菱镁矿±叶蛇纹石+磁铁矿);和(4)蛇纹岩(叶蛇纹石+磁铁矿±滑石±菱镁矿)。不含斜方辉石橄榄岩遍布依苏阿岩带,并记录了变质历史的两个阶段:一个阶段是高至600℃(伴随高X_(co_2))的进化变质作用,类似于由泥质和含铁建造组合所推断的温度条件;另一个阶段是接近450℃较低X_(co_2)条件下形成的以滑石-菱镁矿片岩或蛇纹岩为代表的退化变质作用。含斜方辉石的橄榄岩仅见于一处,作为铝质“束斑板岩”状角闪岩中的透镜体产出。这些岩石记录了变质历史的三个发展阶段:即早期的超过650℃的进化变质作用阶段,斜方辉石和尖晶石形成于这个阶段;随后是在大约560℃伴随有退化绿泥石生成的变质重新平衡阶段;进一步则是退化成滑石-菱镁矿组合阶段。保存在这些橄榄岩中的最早期(高温)热事件证据在依苏阿其它岩石类型中尚未发现。根据化学成分,我们区分出了三类橄榄岩:(1)岩石组A,其Ni>Cr、Al_2O_3低(3～5wt％)、SiO_2/(FeO+MgO)>0.4,具有LaN/YbN可达5、小的Eu负异常及变化范围为1～20倍球粒陨石的平滑分馏的REE特征;(2)岩石组B,具Ni>Cr、更低的Al_2O_3(1wt％)、SiO_2/(FeO+MgO)<0.4,轻稀土亏损、重稀土富集、小的负Eu异常以及数值变化在1～3倍球粒陨石的折线式REE型式;和(3)岩石组C(原文是G,可能为笔误!)(束斑板岩状基质含斜方辉石的角闪岩类),其Cr>Ni、Al_2O_3含量较高(6～8wt％),具低REE丰度值(0.2～1倍球粒陨石),轻稀土<<重稀土和显著的负Eu异常特征。 B组橄榄岩的REE模式与太古代某些科马提岩的REE相似,而A组橄榄岩的REE模式与已报道的交代地慢超镁铁质结核的REE模式类似。但是,在A和B组样品中,具最高SiO_2/FmO的样品也具有最高的轻REE及Zr、Hf、U、Th等的浓度。橄榄石和富含不相容痕量元素的硅质组分之间的混合作用可以解释这种变化。这些特征似乎与依苏阿岩石的晚期蚀变无关,但可以代表变质前蛇纹石化/碳酸盐化作用期间交代元素的再分配。我们选择的解释是,A组和B组橄榄岩可能来源于具科马提岩性质的富橄榄石火成堆积岩的变质蛇纹岩。C组橄榄岩更多代表变质的橄榄石-斜方辉石-铬尖晶石火成堆积岩,该堆积岩来自与之伴生的“束斑板岩”状角闪岩的原始岩浆。依苏阿地区超镁铁质岩中没有一种能代表未被改造的早太古代地幔岩。对超镁铁质岩的变质历史和成因的这些对比存在一些问题。如果含斜方辉石橄揽岩是继高温事件后侵位于依苏阿地区,或这种高温事件的证据对于依苏阿地区的其它所有岩石类型来说均已消失了,那么还有什么能使那些与岩石学观察相矛盾的事实得以一致起来呢。值得庆幸的是,我们发现了那些虽然简单但真实地记录了变质作用初期某些区域性变化的证据。在这两种情况中,我们的研究都为依苏阿地区复杂的多期变质演化提供了附加证据。     

Modeling preferential flow in reactive barriers: implications for performance and design

Reactive barriers are passive and in situ ground water treatment systems. Heterogeneities in hydraulic conductivity (K) within the aquifer-reactive barrier system will result in higher flux rates, and reduced residence times, through portions of the barrier. These spatial variations in residence time will affect the treatment capacity of the barrier. A numerical flow model was used to evaluate the effects of spatial variations in K on preferential flow through barriers. The simulations indicate that the impact of heterogeneities in K will be a function of their location and distribution; the more localized the high K zone, the greater the preferential flow. The geometry of the reactive barrier will also strongly influence flow distribution. Aquifer heterogeneities will produce greater preferential flow in thinner barriers compared to thicker barriers. If the barrier K is heterogeneous, greater preferential flow will occur in thicker barriers. The K of the barrier will affect the flow distribution; decreasing the K of the barrier can result in more even distribution of flow. Results indicate that less variable flow will be attained utilizing thicker, homogeneous barriers. The addition of homogeneous zones to thinner barriers will be effective at redistributing flow only if installed immediately adjacent to both the up- and downgradient faces of the barrier.     

科威特石油大火烟云物理及化学特性的机载观测

1991年3月底在距科威特燃烧油井约120km的烟云最密集区所进行的机载测量表明:典型的粒子质量浓度为500-1000μgm~(-3),SO_2的体积混合比为500-1000p.p.b.v.,氮的氧化物的体积混合比为30-60p.p.b.v..在距科威特1000km处烟云中的臭氧含量超过背景水准约50p.p.b.v..由硫通量估计的石油燃烧率为每天3.9±1.6百万桶.只在5000m以下的高度观测到大量烟尘,由烟尘造成的太阳辐射衰减的测量值与新近评估中的假定值相似.