Impacts of stormwater discharges on the nearshore benthic environment of Santa Monica Bay

Although large loads of potentially toxic constituents are discharged from coastal urban watersheds, very little is known about the fates and eventual impacts of these stormwater inputs once they enter the ocean. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of stormwater discharges on the benthic marine environment of Santa Monica Bay. Sediment samples were collected across a gradient of stormwater impact following significantly sized storm events offshore Ballona Creek (a predominantly developed watershed) and Malibu Creek (a predominantly undeveloped watershed). Sediments offshore Malibu Creek had a greater proportion of fine-grained sediments, organic carbon, and naturally occurring metals (i.e., aluminum and iron), whereas sediments offshore Ballona Creek had higher concentrations of anthropogenic metals (i.e., lead) and organic pollutants (i.e., total DDT, total PCB, total PAH). The accumulation of anthropogenic sediment contaminants offshore Ballona Creek was evident up to 2 km downcoast and 4 km upcoast from the creek mouth and sediment concentrations covaried with distance from the discharge. Although changes in sediment texture, organic content, and an increase in sediment contamination were observed, there was little or no alteration to the benthic communities offshore either Ballona or Malibu Creek. Both sites were characterized as having an abundance, species richness, biodiversity and benthic response index similar to shallow water areas distant from creek mouths throughout the Southern California Bight. There was not a preponderance of pollution tolerant, nor a lack or pollution sensitive, species offshore either creek mouth.     

The effects of light and nutrients on rates of ammonium transformation in a eutrophic river

Rates for nitrification, phytoplankton uptake of ammonium, and regeneration of ammonium were measured in the Delaware River as functions of irradiance and nutrient concentrations, using ¹⁵N labeling methods. Phytoplankton uptake increased and nitrification rates declined with increased light intensity. The irradiance level required for maximum uptake by phytoplankton was similar to that for maximal inhibition of nitrification (about 300μEm⁻² s⁻¹). Daily, water-column averaged rates, calculated by integration of the observed rate-intensity relationships, indicate that light plays a key role in regulating the balance between oxidation of NH₄⁺ by bacteria and assimilation by phytoplankton in the Delaware. The results show that uptake of ammonium by phytoplankton in the dark may exceed uptake in the light in optically thick systems.     

Radar observations of asteroid 1580 Betulia

Radar observations of the asteroid 1580 Betulia, made at a wavelength of 12.6 cm, show a mean radar cross section of 2.2 ± 0.8 km² and a total spectral bandwidth of 26.5 ± 1.5 Hz. Combining our bandwidth measurements with the optically determined rotation period sets a lower limit to the asteroid's radius of 2.9 ± 0.2 km.     

Grain motions in the solar nebula

Isotopic analyses of meteorites suggest the possibility that some interaction between supernova ejecta and grains occurred in the solar nebula. In particular, the dynamics of grain motions in the solar nebula can explain the observed mixing of nucleosynthetic components. The effect of a shock wave on the motions of grains are examined. A steady-state, plane shock propagating into a uniform region of gas and dust grains is followed by a zone of gas/grain slip, in which the grains are accelerated by drag forces from the pre-shock to the post-shock gas velocity, i.e. reducing the relative velocity between the gas and grains to zero. On the basis of these calculations, it is estimated that if grains carried the isotopic anomalies investigated by Lee, Papanastassoiu, and Wasserburg (1978), then those grains could be no bigger than 2×10^–4 cm in size. A scenario is suggested in which the sluggishness of grains provides a natural way to concentrate and mix the nucleosynthetic components carried by grains in the ejecta and in the solar nebula.Paper presented at the Conference on Protostars and Planets, held at the Planetary Science Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, between January 3 and 7, 1978.     

Auroral recombination of N and O: A possible source for emission in the γ and δ bands of NO

Radiative recombination of N and O provides a significant source for auroral emission in the γ and δ bands of NO with selective population of vibrational levels in the A²Σ⁺ and C²Π states. This mechanism may account for emissions detected near 2150 Å. Models are derived for the auroral ionosphere and include estimates for the concentrations of N and NO. The concentration of NO is estimated to have a value of about 10⁸ cm^?1 near 140 km in an IBC III aurora. The corresponding density for N is about 5 × 10⁷cm^?3 and the concentration ratio $\text{NO}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{O}{}_2{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ has a value of about 5.5.     

Boundary-layer parameterizations for applied dispersion modeling over urban areas

Many applied dispersion models require the knowledge of boundary-layer parameters such as sensible heat flux,Q _H , friction velocity,u _*, and turbulent energy components, _w and _v . Formulas are suggested for calculating these parameters over a wide variety of types of ground surfaces, based on simple observations of wind speed near the ground and fractional cloud cover, and specification of constants such as roughness length, albedo, and soil moisture availability. Observations ofu _*,Q _H , _w , and _v during field experiments in St. Louis and Indianapolis are used to test the formulas for urban sites. Relative errors of about ±20% in the predictions are seen to occur whenu _*,Q _H , _w , and _v are large. However, when these quantities are small (e.g.,u _* < 0.2 m/s), the errors in the predictions are as large as the mean value of the quantity itself.In addition, it is concluded from studies of available field data and theories that the magnitude of _w is not well-known at elevations above about 100m during the late afternoon and night. Some simple parameterizations for _w . are suggested that are consistent with the observed steady decrease in ground-level concentration in the afternoon and the sudden increase in concentration that can occur a few hours after sunset due to wind shears associated with a low-level jet, for continuous plumes emitted from moderate to tall stacks.     

Comparison of ERS-SAR and spot data for sugar beet crop cover assessment

The present work was aimed to compare the abilities of radar and optical satellite data to estimate crop canopy cover, which is a key component of productivity estimates. Three ERS-1 SAR images were obtained of East Anglia (UK) in 1995 and one ERS-2 SAR image in 1996. The images covered a study area around the IACR Brooms Barn Sugar Beet Research Institute. Field data comprising radiometric and biophysical measurements of the crop canopy were collected in two fields from June 22 to August 3, 1995 to coincide with ERS-1 SAR overpass dates. In 1996, field data were collected in two fields from June 11 to July 29 on a weekly basis. A previously calibrated version of the water cloud model was inverted to estimate Leaf Area Index (LAI) from ERS-1 and ERS-2 SAR backscatter and soil moisture samples. Canopy cover was estimated from the radar-estimated LAI using a standard exponential relationship that has a well-established coefficient for sugar beet. Radio-metrically and atmospherically corrected data from three SPOT images in 1995 and one SPOT image in 1996 were used to calculate the Optimised Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (OSAVI), from which crop canopy cover was estimated using a relationship determined previously by canopy modelling. The crop cover values estimated by satellite were in good agreement with those measured on ground with the Parkinson radiometer. Radar data may be able to provide useful estimates of canopy cover for crop production modelling, especially in the case of loss of optical data due to cloud.     

Formation of refractory inclusions by evaporation of condensate precursors

Berman’s (1983) activity-composition model for CaO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ liquids is used to calculate the change in bulk chemical and isotopic composition during simultaneous cooling, evaporation, and crystallization of droplets having the compositions of reasonable condensate precursors of Types A and B refractory inclusions in CV3 chondrites. The degree of evaporation of MgO and SiO₂, calculated to be faithfully recorded in chemical and isotopic zoning of individual melilite crystals, is directly proportional to evaporation rate, which is a sensitive function of P_H2, and inversely proportional to the droplet radius and cooling rate. When the precursors are partially melted in pure hydrogen at peak temperatures in the vicinity of the initial crystallization temperature of melilite, their bulk chemical compositions evolve into the composition fields of refractory inclusions, mass-fractionated isotopic compositions of Mg, Si, and O are produced that are in the range of the isotopic compositions of natural inclusions, and melilite zoning profiles result that are similar to those observed in real inclusions. For droplets of radius 0.25 cm evaporating at P_H2 = 10⁻⁶ bar, precursors containing 8 to 13 wt.% MgO and 20 to 23% SiO₂ evolve into objects similar to compact Type A inclusions at cooling rates of 2 to 12 K/h, depending on the precise starting composition. Precursors containing 13 to 14 wt.% MgO and 23 to 26% SiO₂ evolve into objects with the characteristics of Type B1 inclusions at cooling rates of 1.5 to 3 K/h. The relatively SiO₂-poor members of the Type B2 group can be produced from precursors containing 14 to 16 wt.% MgO and 27 to 33% SiO₂ at cooling rates of <1 K/h. Type B2’s containing 27 to 35 wt.% SiO₂ and <12% MgO require precursors with higher SiO₂/MgO ratios at MgO > 15% than are found on any condensation curve. The characteristics of fluffy Type A inclusions, including their reversely zoned melilite, can only be understood in the context of this model if they contain relict melilite.