The amino acid and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compositions of the promptly recovered CM2 Winchcombe carbonaceous chondrite     

Queenie H. S. Chan  Jonathan S. Watson  Mark A. Sephton  Áine C. O'Brien  Lydia J. Hallis 《Meteoritics & planetary science》2024,59(5):1101-1130

The rapid recovery of the Winchcombe meteorite offers a valuable opportunity to study the soluble organic matter (SOM) profile in pristine carbonaceous astromaterials. Our interests in the biologically relevant molecules, amino acids—monomers of protein, and the most prevalent meteoritic organics—polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are addressed by analyzing the solvent extracts of a Winchcombe meteorite stone using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The Winchcombe sample contains an amino acid abundance of ~1132 parts-per-billion that is about 10 times lower than other CM2 meteorites. The detection of terrestrially rare amino acids, including α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB); isovaline; β-alanine; α-, β-, and γ-amino-n-butyric acids; and 5-aminopentanoic acid, and the racemic enantiomeric ratios (D/L = 1) observed for alanine and isovaline indicate that these amino acids are indigenous to the meteorite and not terrestrial contaminants. The presence of predominantly α-AIB and isovaline is consistent with their formation via the Strecker-cyanohydrin synthetic pathway. The L-enantiomeric excesses in isovaline previously observed for aqueously altered meteorites were viewed as an indicator of parent body aqueous processing; thus, the racemic ratio of isovaline observed for Winchcombe, alongside the overall high free:total amino acid ratio, and the low amino acid concentration suggest that the analyzed stone is derived from a lithology that has experienced brief episode(s) of aqueous alteration. Winchcombe also contains 2- to 6-ring alkylated and nonalkylated PAHs. The low total PAHs abundance (6177 ppb) and high nonalkylated:alkylated ratio are distinct from that observed for heavily aqueously altered CMs. The weak petrographic properties of Winchcombe, as well as the discrepancies observed for the Winchcombe SOM content—a low total amino acid abundance comparable to heavily altered CMs, and yet the high free:total amino acid and nonalkylated:alkylated PAH ratios are on par with the less altered CMs—suggest that Winchcombe could represent a class of weak, poorly lithified meteorite not been previously studied.  相似文献   

Deterring effects of 8-45 kHz tone pulses on harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in a large pool     

Kastelein RA  van der Heul S  Terhune JM  Verboom WC  Triesscheijn RJ 《Marine environmental research》2006,62(5):356-373

The marine aquaculture industry suffers losses due to pinniped attacks which damage net enclosures and fish stocks. Acoustic harassment devices (AHDs) emit loud sounds which are intended to deter pinnipeds from approaching aquaculture enclosures. At present, many AHDs emit sounds in the 8-20 kHz frequency range. It is not known whether sounds of higher frequencies have a deterrent effect on seals. Therefore five captive harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) were subjected to four series of tone pulses together spanning a broad frequency range (8, 16, 32 and 45 kHz). Pulse duration was 250 ms and pulse interval was 5s. Each of the four sounds was made deterrent by increasing the amplitude. The seals reacted by swimming away from the sounds. The displacement effect of each sound was judged by comparing the animals' surface positions, and number of surfacings, during ten 45 min baseline periods with ten 45 min test periods per frequency (one frequency per day in rotation, 40 sessions in total). The seals were displaced by all four frequencies throughout the 40 trial days. The seals came to the surface more often when the test tones were produced than in the baseline periods. The initial displacement distances did not change over the 40 test days. This suggests that operating AHDs for only short periods will be more effective and less likely to result in habituation by the seals than operating them continuously. The discomfort threshold sound pressure level (SPL) was established for each of the four pulse frequencies. The acoustic discomfort threshold SPL is defined as the boundary SPL between the area that the animals generally occupied during the transmission of the sounds and the area that they generally did not enter during sound transmission. The discomfort threshold SPL may depend on the context.  相似文献   

The Response of Anomalous Vertically Integrated Moisture Flux Patterns Related to Drought and Flood in Southern China to Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly          下载免费PDF全文

董娜  徐祥德  蔡雯悦  王春竹  赵润泽  魏凤英  孙婵 《热带气象学报(英文版)》2023,29(2):179-190

With the extreme drought (flood) event in southern China from July to August in 2022 (1999) as the research object, based on the comprehensive diagnosis and composite analysis on the anomalous drought and flood years from July to August in 1961-2022, it is found that there are significant differences in the characteristics of the vertically integrated moisture flux (VIMF) anomaly circulation pattern and the VIMF convergence (VIMFC) anomaly in southern China in drought and flood years, and the VIMFC, a physical quantity, can be regarded as an indicative physical factor for the "strong signal" of drought and flood in southern China. Specifically, in drought years, the VIMF anomaly in southern China is an anticyclonic circulation pattern and the divergence characteristics of the VIMFC are prominent, while those are opposite in flood years. Based on the SST anomaly in the typical draught year of 2022 in southern China and the SST deviation distribution characteristics of abnormal draught and flood years from 1961 to 2022, five SST high impact areas (i.e., the North Pacific Ocean, Northwest Pacific Ocean, Southwest Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and East Pacific Ocean) are selected via the correlation analysis of VIMFC and the global SST in the preceding months (May and June) and in the study period (July and August) in 1961-2022, and their contributions to drought and flood in southern China are quantified. Our study reveals not only the persistent anomalous variation of SST in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean but also its impact on the pattern of moisture transport. Furthermore, it can be discovered from the positive and negative phase fitting of SST that the SST composite flow field in high impact areas can exhibit two types of anomalous moisture transport structures that are opposite to each other, namely an anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulation pattern anomaly in southern China and the coastal areas of east China. These two types of opposite anomalous moisture transport structures can not only drive the formation of drought (flood) in southern China but also exert its influence on the persistent development of the extreme weather.  相似文献