Variability in the nutritional value of the major copepods in Cape Cod Bay (Massachusetts, USA) with implications for right whales

The North Atlantic right whale, a seriously endangered species, is found in Cape Cod Bay (Massachusetts, USA) during the winter and early spring. During their residency in these waters, these whales are frequently observed feeding. This study evaluated spatial and temporal changes in the chemical composition (carbon weight and C/N ratio) of the food resource targeted by the right whales in Cape Cod Bay. The three taxa measured (Centropages typicus, Pseudocalanus spp., and Calanus finmarchicus) had highly variable chemical compositions resulting from the different life strategies and from fluctuations in their surrounding environment. The impact of seasonal variability in the energy densities of the food resource of right whales was calculated and compared to the energetic requirements of these whales. Calculations indicated that differences in the nutritional content of the zooplankton prey in Cape Cod Bay could have a considerable effect on the nutrition available to the right whales. Therefore, it is likely that using more precise estimates of the energetic densities of the prey of right whales would lead to a re‐evaluation of the adequacy of the food resource available to these whales in the North Atlantic.     

Diffuse band extinction and polarization in core-mantle grains

Diffuse band shapes in both extinction and polarization are calculated for interstellar coremantle particles for varying size distributions of mantle thickness. It is shown that no matter whether the source of the bands is in the silicate cores or the accreted icy mantles the polarization shapes are highly asymmetric for all mantel thicknesses. The extinction band shapes are significantly less asymmetric although the effect is clearly present. The only apparent possibility for producing symmetric band shapes in the dust grains is in the very small bare particles in interstellar space which, if they are aligned and produce the 2200 band, must exhibit a strong polarization effect in this region.Work supported in part by NASA Grant NGR-33-011-043.Paper presented at the Symposium on Solid State Astrophysics, held at the University College, Cardiff, Wales, between 9–12 July, 1974.     

Experimental and theoretical transition probabilities in singly ionized gold

Absolute transition probabilities have been measured for lines originating from the 5d⁹6d and 5d⁹7s electronic configurations in the spectrum of singly ionized gold (Au  ii ). The laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy has been applied to free gold atoms and ions produced by laser ablation. Absolute transition probabilities have been determined using the branching fraction and the Boltzmann plot methods. Theoretical branching fractions as well as radiative lifetime values have also been obtained by a relativistic Hartree–Fock method taking core polarization and configuration interaction effects into account. The new results are compared with previous results when available.     

Ambient well-bore mixing, aquifer cross-contamination, pumping stress, and water quality from long-screened wells: What is sampled and what is not?

Water quality tests were performed on two long-screened alluvial aquifer wells (15–30 m of screen) that had been completed in a heterogeneous aquifer that exhibits extreme temporal water quality variability. When stressed, the total dissolved solids (TDS) in one well decreased from 10,600 to 3,500 mg/L and in another well the TDS increased from 136 to 2,255 mg/L. Nested short-screened monitoring wells were constructed in chemically distinct horizons affecting each well. Water level measurements and solute and isotopic samples were obtained from the production wells and the monitoring wells during a water quality test. Results of a time drawdown tests demonstrate transmissivity differences between horizons. Ambient water quality in the production wells and aquifer cross-contamination are controlled by well-bore mixing due to head differences of as little as 0.01 m between chemically distinct horizons which are linked by the production well screen. During non-stress periods, the ambient well-bore chemistry is controlled by the horizon with the greatest hydraulic head, whereas during stressed conditions, horizon transmissivity controls the well-bore chemistry. In one well, aquifer cross-contamination, driven by an ambient head differential of 1.2 m, persisted until about 1,600 well-bore volumes were purged.     

Radiative lifetimes and transition probabilities in Hf I and Hf III

Radiative lifetimes of nine odd levels in Hf III (5d6p z³P_0,1, z¹D₂, z³D_1,2,3, z³F_2,3,4) and of two odd levels in Hf I (5d6s²6p z³D_2,3) have been determined using Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence. The investigated levels in Hf I were excited in a single-step process from the ground term (5d²6s² a³F), whereas in Hf III we started from either the ground term 5d² a³F or the low-lying 5d6s a³D term. For all of the investigated levels, the lifetimes have been measured for the first time. A multiconfiguration relativistic Hartree–Fock method, including core-polarization effects, has been used to compute radiative lifetimes of 15 Hf III levels, including those measured in this work. Transition probabilities for 55 transitions in Hf III are also given.     

Radiative parameters for some transitions in the spectrum of Ag ii

Radiative parameters for transitions depopulating the levels belonging to the 4d⁸5s², 4d⁹6s and 4d⁹5d configurations of Ag  ii have been obtained from a combination of theoretical lifetimes and experimental branching fractions. On the experimental side, a laser-produced plasma was used as a source of Ag⁺ ions. The light emitted by the plasma was analysed by a grating monochromator coupled with a time-resolved optical multichannel analyser system. Spectral response calibration of the experimental system was performed using a deuterium lamp in the wavelength range from 200 to 400 nm, and a standard tungsten lamp in the range from 350 to 600 nm. The transition probabilities were obtained from measured branching ratios and theoretical radiative lifetimes of the corresponding states calculated with a relativistic Hartree–Fock approach including core-polarization effects and configuration interaction in an extensive way. Theoretical and experimental data have been compared and the new data have also been compared with the few previous results available in the literature.     

Analytical method for the effects of the asteroid belt on planetary orbits

Analytic expressions are derived for the perturbation of planetary orbits due to a thick constant density asteroid belt. The derivations include extensions and adaptations of Plakhov's analytic expressions for the perturbations in five of the orbital elements for closed orbits around Saturn's rings. The equations of Plakhov are modified to include the effect of ring thickness and additional equations are derived for the perturbations in the sixth orbital element, the mean anomaly. The gravitational potential and orbital perturbations are derived for the asteroid belt with and without thickness, and for a hoop approximation to the belt. The procedures are also applicable to Saturn's rings and the newly discovered rings of Uranus.The effects of the asteroid belt thickness on the gravitational potential coefficients and the orbital motions are demonstrated. Comparisons between the Mars orbital perturbations obtained using the analytic expressions and those obtained using numerical integration are discussed. The effects of the asteroid belt on the Earth based ranging to Mars are also demonstrated.     

Fracture flow and groundwater compartmentalization in the Rollins Sandstone, Lower Mesaverde Group, Colorado, USA

 This paper presents a site-specific conceptual model of groundwater flow in fractured damage zones associated with faulting in a package of sedimentary rocks. The model is based on the results of field and laboratory investigations. Groundwater and methane gas inflows from fault-fracture systems in the West Elk coal mine, Colorado, USA, have occurred with increasing severity. Inflows of 6, 160 and 500 L s⁻¹ discharged almost instantaneously from three separate faults encountered in mine workings about 460 m below ground level. The faults are about 600 m apart. The δ ²H and δ ¹⁸O compositions of the fault-related inflow waters and the hydrodynamic responses of each fault inflow indicate that the groundwaters discharge from hydraulically isolated systems. ¹⁴C data indicate that the groundwaters are as much as 10,500 years old. Discharge temperatures are geothermal (≈30°C), which could indicate upwelling from depth. However, calculations of geothermal gradients, analysis of solute compositions of groundwater in potential host reservoirs, geothermometer calculations, and results of packer testing indicate that the fractured groundwater reservoir is the Rollins Sandstone (120 m thick) directly beneath the coal seams. The packer test also demonstrates that the methane gas is contained in the coal seams. A geothermal gradient of 70–80°C km⁻¹, related to an underlying intrusion, is probably responsible for the slightly elevated discharge temperatures. Large discharge volumes, as great as 8.2×10⁵m³ from the 14 South East Headgate fault (14 SEHG), rapid declines in discharge rates, and vertical and horizontal permeability (matrix permeability generally <0.006 Darcy) indicate fracture flow. An in-mine pumping test demonstrates that the 14 SEHG fault has excellent hydraulic communication with fractures 50 m from the fault. Aeromagnetic data indicate that the faults are tectonically related to an igneous body that is several thousand meters below the coal seams. Exploratory drilling has confirmed a fourth fault, and two additional faults are projected, based on the aeromagnetic data. The conceptual model describes a series of parallel, hydraulically separate groundwater systems associated with fault-specific damage zones. The faults are about 600 m apart. Groundwater stored in fractured sandstone is confined above and below by clayey layers. Received March 1999 / Revised, November 1999 / Accepted, December 1999