In-Situ Observation of Fluid Mud in the North Passage of Yangtze Estuary, China

Observations of fluid mud were made in the lower North Passage of the Yangtze Estuary in February 2000, on 10 -11 August 2000, on 30 - 31 August 2000 (after two strong typhoons), on 21 - 24 August 2000 (neap tide) and on 3 -6 September 2000 (mean tide) respectively. In situ data show that the fluid mud in this area consists of fine cohesive sediment (median size 7.23 μm). The formation and movement of fluid mud varied during the neap-spring and flood-ebb tidal cycle. Observations suggest that fluid mud phenomena in this area may be categorised in a three-fold manner as slack water, storm and saltwedge features. The thickness of the fluid mud layer of slack water during the neap tide ranged from 0.2 to 0.96 m, whereas during the mean tide, the thickness ranged from 0.17 to 0.73 m, and the thickness of the fluid mud layer was larger during slack water than at the flood peak. Shoals cover an area of 800 km^2 with a water depth smaller than 5 m. Erosion of these extensive intertidal mudflats due to storm action provides an abundant sediment source. This is particularly significant in this estuary when the tidal level is lower than 5 m. The lower North Passage is a typical zone of saltwater wedging, so the saltwedge fluid mud has the most extensive spatial range in the estuary.     

The multiple chronological techniques applied to the Lake Suigetsu SG06 sediment core,central Japan

The varved sediment of Lake Suigetsu (central Japan) provides a valuable opportunity to obtain high‐resolution, multi‐proxy palaeoenvironmental data across the last glacial/interglacial cycle. In order to maximize the potential of this archive, a well‐constrained chronology is required. This paper outlines the multiple geochronological techniques being applied – namely varve counting, radiocarbon dating, tephrochronology (including argon–argon dating) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) – and the approaches by which these techniques are being integrated to form a single, coherent, robust chronology. Importantly, we also describe here the linkage of the floating Lake Suigetsu (SG06) varve chronology and the absolute (IntCal09 tree‐ring) time scale, as derived using radiocarbon data from the uppermost (non‐varved) portion of the core. This tie‐point, defined as a distinct (flood) marker horizon in SG06 (event layer B‐07–08 at 1397.4 cm composite depth), is thus derived to be 11 255 to 11 222 IntCal09 cal. years BP (68.2% probability range).     

A new European testate amoebae transfer function for palaeohydrological reconstruction on ombrotrophic peatlands

Proxy climate data can be obtained from reconstructions of hydrological changes on ombrotrophic (rain‐fed) peatlands using biological indicators, such as testate amoebae. Reconstructions are based on transfer functions, relating modern assemblage composition to water table and moisture content, applied to fossil sequences. Existing transfer functions in Europe and elsewhere are limited geographically and there are often problems with missing or poor analogues. This paper presents a new palaeohydrological transfer function based on sampling raised mires from across Europe. Relationships between assemblages and hydrological variables are described using ordination analyses. Transfer functions are developed for depth to water table (n = 119) and moisture content (n = 132) with root mean squared errors (RMSEP) of 5.6 cm and 2.7% respectively. Both transfer functions have an r² of 0.71, based on ‘leave one out’ cross‐validation. Comparisons with an existing transfer function for Britain show that the European transfer function performs well in inferring measured water tables in Britain but that the British data cannot be used to infer water tables for other European sites with confidence. Several of the key missing and poor analogue taxa problems encountered in previous transfer functions are solved. The new transfer function will be an important tool in developing peat‐based palaeoclimatic reconstructions for European sites. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A first deep seismic survey in the Sea of Marmara: Deep basins and whole crust architecture and evolution

Increased source strength, streamer length and dense spatial coverage of seismic reflection profiles of the SEISMARMARA Leg 1 allow to image the deep structure of the marine North Marmara Trough (NMT) on the strike-slip North Anatolian Fault (NAF) west of the destructive Izmit 1999 earthquake. A reflective lower crust and the Moho boundary are detected. They appear upwarped on an E-W profile from the southern Central Basin eastwards, towards more internal parts of the deformed region. Thinning of the upper crust could use a detachment suggested from an imaged dipping intracrustal reflector that would allow upper crustal material to be dragged from beneath it and above the lower crust, accounting for the extensional component but also southwest motion of the southern margin of the NMT. Sections across the eastern half of the NMT, crossing the Cinarcik and Imrali basins, reveal several faults that are active reaching into the basement and have varying strike and proportions of normal and strike-slip displacement. They might be viewed as petals of a large scale negative flower-structure that spreads over a width of 30 km at surface and is rooted deeper in the lithosphere. Under the Central Basin a very thick sediment infill is revealed and its extensional bounding faults are active and imaged as much as 8 km apart down to 6 km depth. We interpret them as two deep-rooted faults encompassing a foundering basement block, rather than being merely pulled-apart from a jog in a strike-slip above a décollement. The deep-basin lengthening would account for only a modest part of the proposed 60 km finite motion since 4 Myr along the same direction oblique to the NMT that sidesteps the shear motion from its two ends. Thus differential motion occurred much beyond the deep basins, like subsidence involving the NMT bounding faults and the intracrustal detachments. The complex partitioned motion localized on active faults with diverse natures and orientations is suggested to represent the overburden deformation induced from horizontal plane simple shear occurring in depth at lithospheric scale, and in front of the North Anatolian Fault when it propagated through the region.     

New Genus of the Subfamily Geotrupinae (Coleoptera:Scarabaeoidea:Geotrupindae) from the Jehol Biota

<正>Parageotrupes incanus gen.et sp.nov.(Scarabaeoidea:Geotrupidae:Geotrupinae)is described and illustrated from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning province,China.     

ABOUT MEMBERS OF OUR EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Foreign MembersRichard A.Anthes(Office of the Director,NCAR,P.O.Box 3000,Boulder,CO 80307-3000,USA)In 1971,he received his Ph.D.in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin witha Ph.D.thesis on the energetics of hurricanes.In 1981,Dr.Anthes accepted a posi-tion as Director of the Atmospheric Analysis and Prediction Division at NCAR.His re-search interests there were the development of mesoscale numerical models and their use to     

西湖硅藻对桡足类浮游动物繁殖的影响

本文报道从杭州西湖筛选分离的两种淡水硅藻,即尖针杆藻Ｓｙｎｅｄｒａａｃｕｓ和谷皮菱形藻Ｎｉｔｚｓｃｈｉａｐａｌｅａ对西湖两种淡水浮游桡足类,即近亲拟剑水蚤Ｐａｒａｃｙｃｌｏｐｓａｆｆｉｎｉｓ和大尾真剑水蚤Ｅｕｃｙｃｌｏｐｓｍｕｃｒｒｏｉｄｅｓ卵孵化率的影响。结果表明,在较高密度的硅藻培养液（１．２×１０４～５．４×１０４个／ｃｍ３）中培养的桡足类动物,其卵的孵化率比生活在自然水体中的有明显降低,并发现该密度的实验硅藻对其摄食者——桡足类的母体也产生一定的毒害作用。该实验结果与已报道的某些海洋硅藻对海洋桡足类存在毒害作用的结果,对水域生态系食物链（网）中硅藻作用的传统概念提出了挑战,对水域生态学研究提出了新课题。     

Stable carbon isotope evidence for tracing the diet of the host Hepialus larva of Cordyceps sinensis in the Tibetan Plateau

Two types of Hepialus larvae with different diets were distinguished in the Sejila Mountain,Tibetan Plateau based on the stable carbon isotope data of the host Hepialus larva of Cordyceps sinensis and its closely adjacent tender plant roots and humus fractions.Type I is the larva chiefly fed by soil humus,and characterized by the δ 13C values of -22.6‰ to-23.4‰,and more than -23.4‰ in its heads.Type II is the larva chiefly fed by tender plant roots,and characterized by the δ 13C values of-24.6‰ to -27.6‰,an...     

Harmful Ciliates and Dominant Genus in Culture Ponds of Young Abalone

By using the methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis, the species composition and dominant genus of harmful, ciliates in young abalone culture ponds are studied. Totally 68 species of ciliates, belonging to 3 classes, 16 orders and 46 genus, are found. The dominant ciliate species are Aspidisca leptaspis, Vorticella sp. and Euplotes rariseta. During the young abalone cultivation, the numbers of young abalones increase first,and then show a trend of decreasing. The relationship between the density and composition of ciliates and the density of algae in the young abalone culture ponds is also discussed.     

Effects of tributyltin at environmental levels on monooxygenase system of digestive gland in hard clam Meretrix meretrix

The effects on ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and NADH cytochrome b5 reductase activities of digestive gland in Meretrix meretrix exposed to tributyltin (TBT) at environmental levels (0.1,1.0, 10.0 ng/dm3 as stannum concentration), in experimental condition, were evaluated. The EROD, NADH cytochrome b5 reductase activities were significantly inhibited after exposure to 10.0 ng/dm3 TBT for 8 and 20 d, the NADPH cytochrome c reductase activities were significantly inhibited after exposure to 0.1,1.0 and 10.0 ng/dm3 TBT for 8 d and to 1.0 and 10.0 ng/dm3 for 20 d, as compared with the matched control, while NADH cytochrome b5 reductases and NADPH cytochrome c reductase activities were induced after exposure to 10.0 ng/dm3 TBT for 2 d. The EROD activity in the 10 ng/dm3 group, and the NADH cytochrome b5 reductases activities in 1.0 and 10.0 ng/dm3 groups, were significantly induced when transferred to clean recovery tanks for 7 d. The three enzymic activities in the clams exposed to TBT were recovered to the level corresponding to that of the control group after transfer to clean recovery tanks for 20 d. NADPH cytochrome c reductase activity in Meretrix meretrix seems to be more sensitive to exposure of TBT than that of the EROD and NADH cytochrome b5 reductases. The results suggest that induction and inhibition by TBT to the monooxygenase system enzymic activity in Meretrix meretrix would simultaneously exist. The enzymic activities were inhibited by exposure for a long time. The results suggest that inhibition of the monooxygenase system should be an indication of the exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of TBT for a long time.