On the survivability of an enantiomeric excess of amino acids in comet nuclei during the decay of26Al and other radionuclides

We present a computer model calculation for the racemization of a possible excess of amino acids in the icy fraction of comet nuclei bring about by ionizing radiation released during the decay of²⁶Al,⁴⁰K,²³⁵U,²³⁸U and²³²Th. The model takes into account a total of 110 chemical reactions, of which 91 are needed to explain the radiation chemical processing of the major constituents of comet nuclei (Navarro-Gonzálezet al., 1992) and 19 are necessary to simulate the radiolysis of glycine/alanine mixtures in aqueous solutions (Navarro-Gonzálezet al., 1994 and 1996). It is predicted that an enantiomeric excess of alanine would not be destroyed by radioracemization during the decay of embedded radionuclides. Nevertheless, this enantiomeric excess could be attenuated by the formation of racemic amino acids in the interior of comet nuclei as a result of the radiation-induced polymerization of HCN.     

Partial Melting and Counterclockwise P T Path of Subducted Oceanic Crust (Sierra del Convento Melange, Cuba)

Partial melting of subducted oceanic crust has been identifiedin the Sierra del Convento mélange (Cuba). This serpentinite-matrixmélange contains blocks of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-derivedplagioclase-lacking epidote ± garnet amphibolite intimatelyassociated with peraluminous trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocks.Field relations, major element bulk-rock compositions, mineralassemblages, peak metamorphic conditions (c. 750°C, 14–16kbar), experimental evidence, and theoretical phase relationssupport formation of the trondhjemitic–tonalitic rocksby wet melting of subducted amphibolites. Phase relations andmass-balance calculations indicate eutectic- and peritectic-likemelting reactions characterized by large stoichiometric coefficientsof reactant plagioclase and suggest that this phase was completelyconsumed upon melting. The magmatic assemblages of the trondhjemitic–tonaliticmelts, consisting of plagioclase, quartz, epidote, ±paragonite, ± pargasite, and ± kyanite, crystallizedat depth (14–15 kbar). The peraluminous composition ofthe melts is consistent with experimental evidence, explainsthe presence of magmatic paragonite and (relict) kyanite, andplaces important constraints on the interpretation of slab-derivedmagmatic rocks. Calculated P–T conditions indicate counterclockwiseP–T paths during exhumation, when retrograde blueschist-faciesoverprints, composed of combinations of omphacite, glaucophane,actinolite, tremolite, paragonite, lawsonite, albite, (clino)zoisite,chlorite, pumpellyite and phengite, were formed in the amphibolitesand trondhjemites. Partial melting of subducted oceanic crustin eastern Cuba is unique in the Caribbean realm and has importantconsequences for the plate-tectonic interpretation of the region,as it supports a scenario of onset of subduction of a youngoceanic lithosphere during the early Cretaceous (c. 120 Ma).The counterclockwise P–T paths were caused by ensuingexhumation during continued subduction. KEY WORDS: amphibolite; Cuba; exhumation; partial melting; trondhjemite; subduction     

Coastal Upwelling Activity on the Pacific Shelf of the Baja California Peninsula

High primary productivity on the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula is usually related to coastal upwelling activity that injects nutrients into the euphotic zone in response to prevailing longshore winds (from the northwest to north). The upwelling process has maximum intensity from April to June, with the coastal upwelling index varying from 50 to 300 m³/s per 100 m of coastline. Along the entire coast of the peninsula, the upwelling intensity changes in accordance with local wind conditions and bottom topography. Spatial variability can also be modulated by the influence of mesoscale meanders of the California Current. We have identified the seasonal and synoptic variability of upwelling signatures on the Baja California shelf, using averaged monthly and weekly sea surface temperature (SST) distributions obtained from remote sensing imagery from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer in the period from 1996 to 2001. Analysis of SST distribution and direct experimental data on temperature and nutrient concentration shows that the areas with the coldest SST anomalies were closely related to the bottom slope, shelf width, and coastline orientation relating to wind direction. We also assume that the nutrient transport into the coastal lagoons may be forced by the coupling of coastal upwelling and tidal pumping of surface waters into the lagoon system. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of Rhodolith-Forming Species and Growth-Form on Associated Fauna of Rhodolith Beds in the Central-West Gulf of California, México

Abstract.  Rhodoliths provide a stable and three-dimensional habitat to which other seaweeds and invertebrates can attach. Although ecological factors affecting rhodolith beds have been studied, little is known about the effect of rhodolith species and growth-form on associated fauna. Experiments were conducted at three rhodolith beds in the central-west Gulf of California. Faunal abundance differed significantly in relation to rhodolith-forming species, but no significant differences were observed between different growth-forms. Rhodolith structure differs between the species Lithophyllum margaritae and Neogoniolithon trichotomum , and the combination of structure differences and rhodolith abundances may be responsible of the significant differences in faunal abundance and richness. Crustaceans, polychaetes and molluscs were the most important taxa in all three rhodolith beds. The amphipod species Pontogeneia nasa and the cnidarian Aiptasia sp. were dominant in both rhodolith beds, El Requesón and Isla Coyote, in Bahía Concepción. The Isla Coronados rhodolith bed was dominated by an unidentified harpacticoid copepod (Copepoda sp.1). Rhodolith species is more important than growth-form in determining abundance and richness of the associated fauna. Nevertheless, factors such as wave motion, depth, bioturbation and others should be considered when studying organisms associated with rhodolith beds.     

In Situ Measurement of Pinna nobilis Shells for Age and Growth Studies: A New Device

Abstract. Pinna nobilis Linnaeus 1758 is an endemic bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean Sea, where it inhabits seagrass meadows, especially Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile. It is the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean, reaching lengths up to 120 cm. In its natural habitat, P. nobilis lives with the anterior part of the valve buried in the seabed, attached to Posidonia rhizomes by byssus threads.
This habit makes it impossible to measure its total length directly in situ. As the only way to determine the individual age is the relationship between age and total length, several equations have been proposed to estimate total length by relating it to the unburied parts of the shell. Such measurements are essential to ecological studies that consider age, growth, and population dynamics, and that evaluate the environmental factors that affect this species.
Accurately estimating total length depends on the accuracy and precision of the method employed to measure the unburied shell parts. In this paper, we point out the lack of precision of the instruments and methods used until now; we also demonstrate the reason for this imprecision. A new device to measure unburied parts of Pinna nobilis with a precision comparable to that obtained when measuring extracted valves is described. This device is unaffected by substratum type and reduces measurement time. The latter is a very important feature, because these procedures are usually performed whilst SCUBA diving. Finally, a growth equation has been fitted to the measurements obtained with the new device from a population located in Moraira (Alicante, western Mediterranean).     

Variability of organic δC and C/N in the Mersey Estuary, U.K. and its implications for sea-level reconstruction studies

Microfossil analysis (e.g. diatoms, foraminifera and pollen) represents the cornerstone of Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) reconstruction because their distribution in the contemporary inter-tidal zone is principally controlled by ground elevation within the tidal frame. A combination of poor microfossil preservation and a limited range in the sediment record may severely restrict the accuracy of resulting RSL reconstructions. Organic δ¹³C and C/N analysis of inter-tidal sediments have shown some potential as coastal palaeoenvironmental proxies. Here we assess their viability for reconstructing RSL change by examining patterns of organic δ¹³C and C/N values in a modern estuarine environment. δ¹³C and C/N analysis of bulk organic inter-tidal sediments and vegetation, as well as suspended and bedload organic sediments of the Mersey Estuary, U.K., demonstrate that the two main sources of organic carbon to surface saltmarsh sediments (terrestrial vegetation and tidal-derived particulate organic matter) have distinctive δ¹³C and C/N signatures. The resulting relationship between ground elevation within the tidal frame and surface sediment δ¹³C and C/N is unaffected by decompositional changes. The potential of this technique for RSL reconstruction is demonstrated by the analysis of part of an early Holocene sediment core from the Mersey Estuary. Organic δ¹³C and C/N analysis is less time consuming than microfossil analysis and is likely to provide continuous records of RSL change.     

Multiple scattering ofSH waves in 2-D media with many cavities

The full waveform synthetic seismogram of multiple scatteredSH waves by many cylindrical cavities in two-dimensional homogeneous elastic media is computed. We used the so-called single-layer potential integral representation of the scattered field and a discretization scheme with line source distribution for each cavity. The total field is the sum of the incident wave plus the field radiated from all sources, each multiplied by an unknown complex constant representing its strength. These constants are determined by imposing the appropriate boundary conditions in the least-squares sense. Here we solve scattering problems involving one, two, four, twelve and fifty cavities regularly distributed in a half-space. The seismograms computed along the free-surface show regions where the incident wave is strongly attenuated, as well as the arrivals of all multiple scattered phases. The accuray of the method is estimated from the degree of agreement of our solution for one cavity with the corresponding analytical solution, and also from the magnitude of the residual tractions along the boundaries of two cavities separated at various distances. Finally we apply the method to compute the case of fifty cylindrical cavities, each of radiusa, randomly distributed in a region 80a wide by 30a deep in a half-space. The value of scattering loss is obtained from the amplitude decay of the primary wave with distance for wavelengths in the range from 1.7a to 13.3a, using the synthetic seismogram calculated for the same distribution of 50 cavities as above, but in full-space.     

Multifrequency behayiour of the dwarf nova SS Cygni

Several years of coordinated multifrequency observations of the dwarf nova SS Cygni have been performed in order to study the accretion behaviour of this system in particular, and in general to clarify this crucial problem for the cataclysmic variables.From IUE measurements, together with those from optical and IR ground based telescopes, we have found orbital modulations in the continuum and in the equivalent widths of the emission lines. During quiescent phases the behaviour of SS Cygni are dependent on the type of the preceding outburst (long-type or short-type).In this paper we will discuss the physical implications one can derive from these results.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.Based on the observations performed with IUE (VILSPA) satellite, and with the telescopes of the Loiano and Roque de los Muchachos Observatories.