Anoxic nitrification: Evidence from Humber Estuary sediments (UK)

Conventional understanding of the nitrogen cycle in marine sediments has changed in recent years with the discovery of an alternative pathway for ammonia oxidation via the reduction of manganese oxides (during anoxic nitrification). In anoxic sediments, the potential for manganese oxides to serve as oxidant for nitrification may be considerable yet previous work on manganese-rich sediments has suggested anoxic nitrification may not be significant. In this study, the potential for anoxic nitrification in a range of sediment types was investigated. Laboratory incubation of sediment from three sites on the Humber Estuary, a microbially diverse environment, showed anoxic accumulation of nitrate, nitrite and dinitrogen gas, with and without the addition of synthetic manganese oxides. Incubation experiments confirmed anoxic nitrification as microbially mediated, with heat-killed controls yielding negative results. The anoxic nitrification reaction significantly depleted ammonia concentrations, and occurred simultaneously with manganese-, iron- and sulphate reduction, and methanogenesis. Taken in conjunction with other studies, results suggest anoxic nitrification may not only be dependent on total manganese concentrations but on manganese dynamics. Anoxic nitrification may be explained as a non-steady state reaction, dependent on the recent stability of a sediment system. Physical perturbation of sediments may cause the redistribution and/or introduction of manganese oxides and promote anoxic nitrification. The significance and persistence of anoxic nitrification is likely to depend on the frequency and magnitude of sediment perturbation, which explains why the reaction varies so widely across studied sites, and why it may not occur in some manganese-rich sediment.     

地形坡度对多金属结核分布的控制作用

选取我国东太平洋多金属结核开辟区内的一个区域作为研究区,利用人工神经网络中应用最为广泛的BP网络,建立控制多金属结核分布的地质因素与多金属结核分布之间的映射关系,探讨地形坡度对多金属结核分布的控制作用.结果表明,在经度、纬度、水深、坡度四个因素中,坡度对结核分布影响程度最大;多金属结核主要分布于坡度小于5°的地方;当坡度小于5°时,丰度与地形坡度呈正相关,品位与地形坡度呈负相关,丰度与品位呈负相关;品位与坡度似呈指数关系,坡度增大,品位降低.     

Geoacoustic Inversion via Genetic Algorithm and Its Application to Manganese Sediment Identification

An acoustic inversion method using a wide-band signal and two near field receivers is proposed and applied to multiple layered seabed models including a manganese sediment. The inversion problem can be formulated into a probabilistic model comprised of signals, a forward model, and additive noise. The forward model simulates wide-band signals, such as chirp signals, and is chosen to be the source-waveletconvolution plane wave modeling method. The wavelet matching technique, using weighted least-squares fitting, estimates the sediment sound-speed and thickness on which determination of the possible numerical ranges for a priori uniform distribution is based. The genetic algorithm is applied to a global optimization problem to find a maximum a posteriori solution for determined a priori search space. Here the object function is defined by an L 2 norm of the difference between measured and modeled signals. Not only the marginal pdf but also its statistics are calculated by numerical evaluation of integrals using the samples selected during importance sampling process of the genetic algorithm.     

Manganese and iron distributions off central California influenced by upwelling and shelf width

In July 2002, a combination of underway mapping and discrete profiles revealed significant along-shore variability in the concentrations of manganese and iron in the vicinity of Monterey Bay, California. Both metals had lower concentrations in surface waters south of Monterey Bay, where the shelf is about 2.5 km wide, than north of Monterey Bay, where the shelf is about 10 km wide. During non-upwelling conditions over the northern broad shelf, dissolvable iron concentrations measured underway in surface waters reached 3.5 nmol L⁻¹ and dissolved manganese reached 25 nmol L⁻¹. In contrast, during non-upwelling conditions over the southern narrow shelf, dissolvable iron concentrations in surface waters were less than 1 nmol L⁻¹ and dissolved manganese concentrations were less than 5 nmol L⁻¹. A pair of vertical profiles at 1000 m water depth collected during an upwelling event showed dissolved manganese concentrations of 10 decreasing to 2 nmol L⁻¹, and dissolvable iron concentrations of 12–20 nmol L⁻¹ in the upper 100 m in the north, compared to 3.5–2 nmol L⁻¹ Mn and 0.6 nmol L⁻¹ Fe in the upper 100 m in the south, suggesting the effect of shelf width influences the chemistry of waters beyond the shelf.These observations are consistent with current understanding of the mechanism of iron supply to coastal upwelling systems: Iron from shelf sediments, predominantly associated with particles greater than 20 μm, is brought to the surface during upwelling conditions. We hypothesize that manganese oxides are brought to the surface with upwelling and are then reduced to dissolved manganese, perhaps by photoreduction, following a lag after upwelling.Greater phytoplankton biomass, primary productivity, and nutrient drawdown were observed over the broad shelf, consistent with the greater supply of iron. Incubation experiments conducted 20 km offshore in both regions, during a period of wind relaxation, confirm the potential of these sites to become limited by iron. There was no additional growth response when copper, manganese or cobalt was added in addition to iron. The growth response of surface water incubated with bottom sediment (4 nmol L⁻¹ dissolvable Fe) was slightly greater than in control incubations, but less than in the presence of 4 nmol L⁻¹ dissolved iron. This may indicate that dissolvable iron is not as bioavailable as dissolved iron, although the influence of additional inhibitory elements in the sediment cannot be ruled out.     

Composition and Useful Properties of Tailings of Marine Manganese Nodules and Crusts

Marine manganese nodules and crusts, when processed, yield tailings which may be utilized for environmental and economic benefit. The key to the reasonable and effective utilization of these tailings lies in making a systematic appraisal of their composition and properties. This article gives an introduction to the investigation of manganese tailings properties. The tailings have a high iron and/or manganese content, high surface area, high porosity, and fine grain size. Some tailings have a high rare earth element content which is valuable. They may also have high SO₃, arsenic, and uranium contents which are harmful. Depending on the process used to produce the tailings, there will likely be some differences in chemical composition, mineral assemblages, surface area and adsorption capability, pore diameter and volume, density and pH. In assigning potentially beneficial applications for these tailings, these differences should be taken into account to optimize utilization.     

水样及生物体内微量锌、锰、硒的极谱催化波同时测定

本文提出了在酒石酸盐-乙二胺-高氯酸-亚硫酸钠-高碘酸钾-EDTA体系中同时测定微量锌、锰、硒的极谱催化波，波峰敏锐，波形稳定。Zn2 浓度在0．4～40μg／dm3，Mn2 浓度在1．6～80μg／dm3，Se（Ⅳ）浓度在0．02～3．0μg／dm3范围内浓度与峰电流呈线性关系。取天然水样平行12份测定，变异系数在10％以内。     

A new concept of pedogenic nodule formation in landscapes of the Russian Far East

The typification of ferromanganese nodules (FMN) formed in subaqueous and subaerial settings and in residual materials, as well as FMN localization in various sediments and soils, is discussed. The genetic diversity of morphologically similar FMN and the transformation of FMN-bearing complexes with changes in landscapes have been established.     

Chemical, Isotopic, and Fluid Inclusion Evidence for the Hydrothermal Alteration of the Footwall Rocks of the BIF-Hosted Iron Ore Deposits in the Hamersley District, Western Australia

Abstract. The petrography, chemical, fluid inclusion and isotope analyses (O, Rb-Sr) were conducted for the shale samples of the Mount McRae Shale collected from the Tom Price, Newman, and Paraburdoo mines in the Hamersley Basin, Western Australia. The Mount McRae Shale at these mines occurs as a footwall unit of the secondary, hematite-rich iron ores derived from the Brockman Iron Formation, one of the largest banded iron formations (BIFs) in the world. Unusually low contents of Na, Ca, and Sr in the shales suggest that these elements were leached away from the shale after deposition. The δ¹⁸O (SMOW) values fall in the range of + 15.0 to +17.9 per mil and show the positive correlation with calculated quartz/sericite ratios of the shale samples. This suggests that the oxygen isotopic compositions of shale samples were homogenized and equilibrated by postdepositional event. The pyrite nodules hosted by shales are often rimmed by thin layers of silica of varying crystallinity. Fluid inclusions in quartz crystals rimming a pyrite nodule show homogenization temperatures ranging from 100 to 240C for 47 inclusions and salinities ranging from 0.4 to 12.3 wt% NaCl equivalent for 18 inclusions. These fluid inclusion data give direct evidence for the hydrothermal activity and are comparable to those of the vein quartz collected from the BIF-derived secondary iron ores (Taylor et al, 2001). The Rb-Sr age for the Mount McRae Shale is 1,952 ± 289 Ma and at least 200 million years younger than the depositional age of the Brockman Iron Formation of ∼ 2.5 Ga in age. All the data obtained in this study are consistent with the suggestion that high temperature hydrothermal fluids were responsible for both the secondary iron ore formation and the alteration of the Mount McRae Shale.     

单道扫描电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法测定大洋标准物质中稀土元素

采用单道扫描等离子体发射光谱法测定了大洋多金属结核及深海沉积物中的稀土元素与钪，比较了不同功率下各稀土元素的检测限，研究了低功率下的稳定性，拟定了可靠的样品处理方法。方法经多金属结核及深海沉积物国家标准ＧＢＷ０７３１３、ＧＢＷ０７２４９分析验证，结果与标准值相符。测定精度（ＲＳＤ）在１３％～５３％。已用此法为第２批多金属结核和深海沉积物标准物质提供了定值数据，其结果无剔除值     

多金属结核中二氧化锰的测定

用过量的含有Ｈ２ＳＯ４的（ＮＨ４）２Ｆｅ（ＳＯ４）２溶液分解多金属结核的同时，还原了试样中的ＭｎＯ２，然后以Ｋ２Ｃｒ２Ｏ７标准溶液滴定测定了多金属结核中的ＭｎＯ２。就样品分解过程中的加热温度和时间对测定结果的影响及标准溶液的标定等问题进行了讨论，经多次测定，方法重现性好。应用此方法为新研制的多金属结核标准物质提供了ＭｎＯ２的定值数据，其结果与初定值相符，无剔除值，精密度（ＲＳＤ，ｎ＝８）小于０６％。