Validation of a fish farm waste resuspension model by use of a particulate tracer discharged from a point source in a coastal environment

To validate a resuspension model of particulate material (salmonid farm wastes), a UV fluorescent particle tracer was selected with similar settling characteristics. Tracer was introduced to the seabed (water depth ≈30 m) and sediment samples taken on days 0, 3, 10, 17 and 30 to measure the horizontal and vertical distribution of tracer in sediments. A concentric sampling grid was established at radii of 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 400, 700 and 1, 000 m from the source on transects 30° apart. The bulk of the deployed tracer was initially concentrated in an area 25 m radius from the release point; tracer was observed to steadily decrease to zero over a period of 30 days. In a 200 m region measured from the release point in the direction of the residual current, the redeposition of tracer was low. A Lagrangian particle tracking model was validated using these observed data by varying resuspension model parameters within limits to obtain the best agreement between spatial and temporal distributions. The validated model generally gave good predictions of total mass budgets (±7% of total tracer released), particulary where tracer concentrations were high near the release point. Best fit model parameters (critical erosion shear stress=0.018 N m⁻², erodibility constan=60 g m⁻² d⁻¹) are at the low end of reported parameters for coastal resuspension models. Such a low critical erosion shear stress indicates that the frequency of resuspension and deposition events for freshly deposited material is high.     

Numerical and analytical observations on long and infinite slopes

Interest in the mechanics of landslides has led to renewed evaluation of the infinite slope equations, and the need for a more general framework for estimating the factor of safety of long and infinite slopes involving non‐homogeneous soil profiles. The paper describes finite element methods that demonstrate the potential for predicting failure in long slope profiles where the critical mechanism is not necessarily at the base of the soil layer. The influence of slope angle is also examined in long slopes, leading to some counter‐intuitive conclusions about the impact of slope steepness on the factor of safety. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Back to the future: reflections and directions of South African marine bioinvasion research

Biological invasions continue to increase around the world, with impacts on many coastal marine systems. Here we review the South African marine invasion literature which, despite the field being relatively new, has grown to have significant presence in both the local and international arenas. Of the 79 papers reviewed, 70% focused on the establishment and spread of alien species, with modes of transport and introduction largely overlooked. An emphasis was also apparent towards field studies, in particular survey work, with few experimental studies. The overwhelming majority of papers focused on a single species, the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, reflecting the scale of this invasion and the tractable nature of rocky shores as study systems. With the exception of this one species, the impacts of marine alien species have rarely been quantified. We suggest that future research extends the taxonomic coverage of present work and develops a better understanding of the mechanisms of introduction, establishment and spread of marine alien species. Through an experimental approach, the drivers of altered ecological patterns and processes resulting from invasions should be addressed, providing insight into associated impacts. This approach will maintain the local applicability and international relevance of South African marine invasion research.     

Describing and generating facies models for reservoir characterisation: 2D map view

This paper documents a new method for describing channel-related sedimentary deposits based on formal language theory. Using this method an analogue model of a sedimentary deposit can be encoded as a grammar. A program, called a parser, has been developed which can generate stochastic maps of these sedimentary deposits based on information in a specified grammar. The maps of sedimentary deposits generated by the parser have the same type, spatial arrangement, shape and size distribution as the analogue model. The successful generation of depositional maps represents a crucial step in the ongoing development of a new technique designed to generate 3D static geological models of sedimentary successions. The maps can be conditioned to match sparse hard data in the form of channel segments interpreted from seismic horizon maps.     

Suzaku observation of NGC 3516: complex absorption and the broad and narrow Fe K lines

We present preliminary results from a 150 ks Suzaku observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516. Suzaku 's wide bandpass has enabled us to deconvolve the broadband emitting and absorbing components in this object, breaking model degeneracies inherent in previous, smaller‐bandpass spectra. The primary power‐law continuum is absorbed by an ionized absorber as well as a partial‐covering absorber; the column density of the ionized absorber has increased by a factor of ∼3 since XMM‐Newton observations in 2001. We detect a soft power‐law component which may be scattered emission. We confirm the presence of the broad Fe line, finding a eV equivalent width line that indicates emission extending down to a few Schwarzschild radii. Models which exclude either the broad line or the partial‐covering absorber are rejected. Suzaku 's high effective area and low background near 6 keV also allow us to resolve the narrow Fe K emission line; we find a FWHM velocity width near 4000 km s^–1, commensurate with Broad Line Region velocities. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison of the pseudo-static and dynamic behaviour of gravity retaining walls

Summary Pseudo-static and dynamic non-linear finite element analyses have been performed to assess the dynamic behaviour of gravity retaining walls subjected to horizontal earthquake loading. In the pseudo-static analysis, the peak ground acceleration is converted into a pseudo-static inertia force and applied as a horizontal incremental gravity load. In the dynamic analysis, an actual measured earthquake acceleration time history has been scaled to provide peak ground acceleration values of 0.1 g and 0.3 g. Good agreement is obtained between the pseudo-static analysis and analytical methods for the calculation of the active coefficient of earth pressure. However, the results from the dynamic analysis require careful interpretation. In the pseudo-static analysis, the increase in the point of application of the resultant active force with the horizontal earthquake coefficient k _h from the one-third point to the mid-height of the wall is clearly observed. In the dynamic analysis, the variation in the point of application is shown to be a function of the type of wall deformation. Both finite element analyses indicate the importance of determining the magnitude of the predicted displacements when assessing the behaviour of the wall to seismic loading.     

Relative microbial activity and mineralization associated with water masses in the lower Cook Inlet,Alaska

A study of the microbial uptake and respiration (mineralization) of radioactive glutamic acid was made in 141 surface water samples in the Cook Inlet, Alaska during three sampling periods (October, 1976; April, 1977; and November, 1977). The rate at which the test substrate was incorporated into cell material plus that respired as CO₂ was used to calculate the relative microbial activity. A northern water mass with salinities less than 31 showed high rates of relative microbial activity but low mineralization rates as indicated by respiration of¹⁴CO₂. The reverse pattern was seen in the water mass (salinity higher than 31) to the south which was more typical of coastal water. These data suggest that the organic nutrients in these two water masses are quite different either qualitatively or quantitatively. This study illustrates how the observed measurement of relative microbial activity might be helpful in defining specific water masses.(The publication of this article was unintentionally delayed owing to a fault in secretarial routine.)Published as Technical Paper No. 6009, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Long-term effects of crude oil on microbial processes in subarctic marine sediments: Studies on sediments amended with organic nutrients

Subarctic marine sediments amended with various organic compounds were exposed to fresh Cook Inlet crude oil at a concentration of 50 ppt for either 6 or 8 months. After the sediments were initially treated, they were returned to the approximate location where they were collected and left to be exposed to natural environmental conditions until they were retrieved for analysis. As a result of crude oil treatment, the activities of the enzymes that hydrolyse structural polysaccharides were reduced and the activities of the enzymes that hydrolyse storage polysaccharides were stimulated. In addition to these changes, we observed changes in phosphatase activity, nitrogen fixation rates, potential denitrification rates, methane concentrations, CO₂ production rates, and the glucose uptake and mineralization rates. The effect of the crude oil perturbation was different depending on the organic compound used in the amended sediments. Many of these differences could be explained by the effect of crude oil on the hydrolases which were responsible for degrading the compound in question. The results of this study suggest the effect of crude oil on microbial processes may be affected by the type of organic material present in the impacted marine sediment. This study also illustrates the value of measuring hydrolase activity in studies designed to determine the effects of this or any other pollutant on microbial processes in marine sediments.