Recurrent spring‐fed rivers in a Middle to Late Pleistocene semi‐arid grassland: Implications for environments of early humans in the Lake Victoria Basin,Kenya          下载免费PDF全文

Emily J. Beverly  Steven G. Driese  Daniel J. Peppe  Cara R. Johnson  Lauren A. Michel  J. Tyler Faith  Christian A. Tryon  Warren D. Sharp 《Sedimentology》2015,62(6):1611-1635

The effect of changing palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment on human evolution during the Pleistocene is debated, but hampered by few East African records directly associated with archaeological sites prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. Middle to Late Pleistocene deposits on the shoreline of eastern Lake Victoria preserve abundant vertebrate fossils and Middle Stone Age arte‐facts associated with riverine tufas at the base of the deposits, which are ideal for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. New data from tufas identified on Rusinga Island and on the mainland near Karungu, Kenya are provided from outcrop, thin sections, mineralogical, stable isotopic and U‐series dating analyses. Tufa is identified in four sites: Nyamita (94·0 ± 3·3 and 111·4 ± 4·2 ka); Kisaaka, Aringo (455 ± 45 ka); and Obware. The age ranges of these tufa deposits demonstrate that spring‐fed rivers were a recurrent, variably preserved feature on the Pleistocene landscape for ca 360 kyr. Poor sorting of clastic facies from all sites indicates flashy, ephemeral discharge, but these facies are commonly associated with barrage tufas, paludal environments with δ¹³C values of ca 10‰ indicative of C₃ plants and fossil Hippopotamus, all of which indicate a perennial water source. Other tufa deposits from Nyamita, Obware and Aringo have a mixed C₃/C₄ signature consistent with a semi‐arid C₄ grassland surrounding these spring‐fed rivers. The δ¹⁸O values of tufa from Nyamita are on average ca 1‰ more negative than calcite precipitated from modern rainfall in the region, suggesting greater contribution of depleted monsoonal input, similar to the Last Glacial Maximum. Microdebitage and surface‐collected artefacts indicate that early modern humans were utilizing these spring‐fed rivers. The presence of spring?fed rivers would have afforded animals a reliable water source, sustaining a diverse plant and animal community in an otherwise arid environment.  相似文献   

Recommended Sampling Intervals for Arsenic in Private Wells     

Brian J. Mailloux  Nicholas A. Procopio  Mark Bakker  Therese Chen  Imtiaz Choudhury  Kazi Matin Ahmed  M. Rajib H. Mozumder  Tyler Ellis  Steve Chillrud  Alexander van Geen 《Ground water》2021,59(1):80-89

Geogenic arsenic in drinking water is a worldwide problem. For private well owners, testing (e.g., private or government laboratory) is the main method to determine arsenic concentration. However, the temporal variability of arsenic concentrations is not well characterized and it is not clear how often private wells should be tested. To answer this question, three datasets, two new and one publicly available, with temporal arsenic data were utilized: 6370 private wells from New Jersey tested at least twice since 2002, 2174 wells from the USGS NAWQA database, and 391 private wells sampled 14 years apart from Bangladesh. Two arsenic drinking water standards are used for the analysis: 10 µg/L, the WHO guideline and EPA standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) and 5 µg/L, the New Jersey MCL. A rate of change was determined for each well and these rates were used to predict the temporal change in arsenic for a range of initial arsenic concentrations below an MCL. For each MCL and initial concentration, the probability of exceeding an MCL over time was predicted. Results show that to limit a person to below a 5% chance of drinking water above an MCL, wells that are ½ an MCL and above should be tested every year and wells below ½ an MCL should be tested every 5 years. These results indicate that one test result below an MCL is inadequate to ensure long-term compliance. Future recommendations should account for temporal variability when creating drinking water standards and guidance for private well owners.  相似文献   

Varnish microlaminations: new insights from focused ion beam preparation     

David Krinsley  Jeffrey Ditto  Kurt Langworthy  Tyler Thompson 《自然地理学》2013,34(3):159-173

The cross-sectional texture of rock varnish varies considerably with the scale of analysis and technique used to image a sample. Each jump in resolution results in new insight, with the current state-of-the-art resting at the nanoscale. One key to nanoscale analysis involves focused ion beam (FIB) techniques used most frequently in material science and semiconductor failure analysis. FIB preparation remains challenging, however, for samples like rock coatings with heterogeneous density and abundant porosity. A new technique involving multiangle ion thinning and in situ plan-view lift-out facilitated a scanning transmission electron microscopy study of rock varnish from Death Valley. The results reveal variability in lateral continuity of nanometer microlaminae that can be interrupted by post-depositional diagenesis involving leaching of Mn and Fe, and this variability could explain why some of the visual varnish microlaminations (VML) used in paleoclimatic research can sometimes appear discontinuous. Because these breaks result from post-depositional processes, they do not undermine the paleoclimatic interpretations of VML.  相似文献   

Holocene lake development and glacial-isostatic uplift at Lake Skallen and Lake Oyako,Lützow-Holm Bay,East Antarctica: Based on biogeochemical facies and molecular signatures     

Yoshinori Takano  Jonathan James Tyler  Hisaya Kojima  Yusuke Yokoyama  Yukiko Tanabe  Takaharu Sato  Nanako O. Ogawa  Naohiko Ohkouchi  Manabu Fukui 《Applied Geochemistry》2012

The paleolimnology of two lakes which were isolated as a result of the crustal uplift during the late Holocene along the Soya Coast, Lützow-Holm Bay, East Antarctica were studied. The focus was on temporal variations in the biogeochemical composition of sediment cores recovered from Lake Skallen at Skallen and Lake Oyako at Skarvsnes. Both sets of lake sediments record environmental changes associated with a transition from marine to lacustrine settings, as indicated by analyses of C and N contents, nitrogen isotopic compositions (δ¹⁵N), and major element concentrations. Changes in the dominant primary producers during the marine–lacustrine transition (marine diatom to cyanobacteria) at L. Skallen was clearly revealed by biogenic opal-A, diatom assemblages, and molecular signature from denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene analysis. Radiocarbon dating of acid-insoluble organic C suggested that the environmental transition from marine to fresh water occurred at 2940 ± 100 cal yr BP at L. Skallen and 1060 ± 90 cal yr BP at L. Oyako. Based on these data, a mean crustal uplift rate of 3.2 mm yr⁻¹ is inferred for the history of marine–lacustrine transition via brackish conditions. The geological setting causing glacio-isostatic uplift was the primary factor in controlling the transition event in sedimentary and biological facies.  相似文献   

Book reviews     

Mike Patrick  David R. Schiel  P. A. Tyler 《新西兰海洋与淡水研究杂志》2013,47(3):449-452

Detritus and microbial ecology in aquaculture. B7 Editors: D. J. W. Moriarty and R. S. V. Pullin, 1987. Proceedings for the Conference on Detrital Systems for Aquaculture, Italy, August 1985. 420 p. ISSN 0115–4389, ISBN 971–1022–29‐X. Price: US$12.50 surface. Available from ICLARM, MC P. O. Box 1501, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Coastal fishes of New Zealand, a diver's identification guide. By Malcolm Francis, 1988. Heinemann Reed, Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., Auckland. 63 p. Price: $29.95. ISBN 0–7900–0013‐X.

Lake managers handbook. Editor: W. N. Vant 1987, Water Quality Centre, Ministry of Works and Development, Hamilton. Water & Soil Miscellaneous Publication 103, 230 p., 53 figures, 12 colour plates. Price: $38.50. ISSN 0110–4705. Available from DSIR Publishing, P.O. Box 9741, Wellington, New Zealand.  相似文献   

Mapping Collaboration in Open Source Geospatial Ecosystem     

Jianhua Shao  George Kuk  Suchith Anand  Jeremy G. Morley  Mike J. Jackson  Tyler Mitchell 《Transactions in GIS》2012,16(4):581-597

Over the last decade, there has been a tremendous growth and exploitation of open source geospatial software and technologies. A combination of factors is driving this momentum, including the contributions made by hundreds of developers and the leading role played by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo), aiming primarily to support and promote the collaborative development of open source geospatial technologies and data. This article seeks to map out the social history of collaborative activities within the OSGeo ecosystem. We used the archival logs of developers' contributions, specifically looking for boundary spanning activities where contributions crossed multiple projects. The analysis and visualization of these activities allow us to have a better understanding of the role of boundary spanning in the resourcing of each project, the incubation mechanism advocated by OSGeo, and the significance of the social interrelatedness among projects. The data consisted of the subversion (SVN) commit history made by individual developers in the programming code repository. We applied several network analytical and visualization techniques to explore the data. Our findings indicate that more than one in seven developers spanned multiple projects which potentially had the effects of shaping the projects' directions, and increased knowledge flow and innovation. In addition, the OSGeo's incubation mechanism provided an important encouragement for boundary spanning and increased knowledge sharing. By studying the social history of contributions, further tools can be developed in future to assist tracking of the social history, and make developers mindful of the significance of the interdependence among projects and hence continuously contribute to the health of the OSGeo ecosystem.  相似文献   

Radio occultation measurements and MGCM simulations of Kelvin waves on Mars     

D.P. Hinson  M. Pätzold  B. Häusler  G.L. Tyler 《Icarus》2008,193(1):125-138

We have derived new results concerning thermal tides on Mars from a combination of radio occultation measurements and numerical simulations by a Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM). This investigation exploits a set of concurrent observations by Mars Express (MEX) and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) in mid-2004, when the season on Mars was midspring in the northern hemisphere. The MEX occultations sampled the atmosphere near the evening terminator at latitudes ranging from 54° N to 15° S. The MGS occultations provided complementary coverage near the morning terminator at latitudes of 35° N and 71° S. The geopotential field derived from these measurements contains distinctive modulation caused by solar-asynchronous thermal tides. Through careful analysis of the combined observations, we characterized two prominent wave modes, obtaining direct solutions for some properties, such as the amplitude and phase, as well as constraints on others, such as the period, zonal wave number, and meridional structure. We supplemented these observations with MGCM simulations. After evaluating the performance of the MGCM against the measurements, we used the validated simulation to deduce the identity of the two tidal modes and to explore their behavior. One mode is a semidiurnal Kelvin wave with a zonal wave number of 2 (SK2), while the other is a diurnal Kelvin wave with a zonal wave number of 1 (DK1). Both modes are known to be close to resonance in the martian atmosphere. Our observations of the SK2 are more complete and less ambiguous than any previous measurement. The well-known DK1 is the dominant solar-asynchronous tide in the martian atmosphere, and our results confirm and extend previous observations by diverse instruments.  相似文献   

Using stable isotopes to quantify water sources for trees and shrubs in a riparian cottonwood ecosystem in flood and drought years   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Lawrence B. Flanagan  Trina E. Orchard  Tyler N. Tremel  Stewart B. Rood 《水文研究》2019,33(24):3070-3083

Riparian cottonwood forests in dry regions of western North America do not typically receive sufficient growing season precipitation to completely support their relatively high transpiration requirements. Water used in transpiration by riparian ecosystems must include alluvial groundwater or water stored in the potentially large reservoir of the unsaturated soil zone. We used the stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of stem xylem water to evaluate water sources used by the dominant riparian cottonwood (Populus spp.) trees and shrubs (Shepherdia argentea and Symphoricarpos occidentalis) in Lethbridge, Alberta, during 3 years of contrasting environmental conditions. Cottonwoods did not exclusively take up alluvial groundwater but made extensive use of water sourced from the unsaturated soil zone. The oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of cottonwood stem water did not strongly overlap with those of alluvial groundwater, which were closely associated with the local meteoric water line. Instead, cottonwood stem water δ¹⁸O and δ²H values were located below the local meteoric water line, forming a line with a low slope that was indicative of water exposed to evaporative enrichment of heavy isotopes. In addition, cottonwood xylem water isotope compositions had negative values of deuterium excess (d‐excess) and line‐conditioned (deuterium) excess (lc‐excess), both of which provided evidence that water taken up by the cottonwoods had been exposed to fractionation during evaporation. The shrub species had lower values of d‐excess and lc‐excess than had the cottonwood trees due to shallower rooting depths, and the d‐excess values declined during the growing season, as shallow soil water that was taken up by the plants was exposed to increasing, cumulative evaporative enrichment. The apparent differences in functional rooting pattern between cottonwoods and the shrub species, strongly influenced the ratio of net photosynthesis to stomatal conductance (intrinsic water‐use efficiency), as shown by variation among species in the δ¹³C values of leaf tissue.  相似文献   

Late Quaternary environmental change in the Southern Cape,South Africa,from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in faunal tooth enamel from Boomplaas Cave          下载免费PDF全文

Judith Sealy  Julia Lee‐Thorp  Emma Loftus  J. Tyler Faith  Curtis W. Marean 《第四纪科学杂志》2016,31(8):919-927

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Particle size distributions in Saturn's rings from voyager 1 radio occultation     

Essam A. Marouf  G. Leonard Tyler  Howard A. Zebker  Richard A. Simpson  Von R. Eshleman 《Icarus》1983,54(2):189-211

Observations of microwave opacity τ[λ] and near forward scatter from Saturn's rings at wavelengths λ of 3.6 and 13 cm from the Voyager 1 ring occultation experiment contain information regarding ring particle sizes in the range of about a = 0.01 to 15 m radius. The opacity measurements τ[3.6] and τ[13] are sufficient to constrain the scale factor n(a₀) and index q of a power law incremental size distribution n(a) = n(a₀)[a₀/a]^q, assuming known minimum and maximum sizes and a many-particle-thick model. The families of such distributions are highly convergent in the centimeter-size range. Forward scatter at 3.6 cm can be used to solve for a general distribution over the radius range $\text{1 ? a ? 15}\text{m}$ by integral inversion and inverse scattering methods, again assuming a many-particle-thick slab-type radiative transfer model. Distributions n(a) valid over $\text{0.01 ? a ? 15}\text{m}$ are obtained by combining the results from the two types of measurements above. Mass distributions may be computed directly from n(a). Such distributions, partly measured and partly synthesized, have been obtained for four features in the ring system centered at 1.35, 1.51, 2.01, and 2.12 Saturn radii (R_s). The size and mass distributions both cut off sharply at a ? 4–5 m; the mass distribution peaks over the narrow size range $\text{3 ? a ? 4}\text{m}$ for all four locations. No single power law distribution is consistent with the data over the entire interval $\text{0.01 ? a ? 5}\text{m}$, although a power law-type model is consistent with the data over a limited size range of $\text{0.01 ? a ? 1}\text{m}$, where the indices q = 3.4 and 3.3 are obtained from the slab model for the features located at 1.51 and 2.01 R_s. The fractional contribution of the suprameter particles to the microwave opacity in each feature appears to be about $\text{1}\text{3}\text{,}\text{1}\text{3}\text{,}\text{2}\text{3}\text{,}\text{and}\text{1}$, respectively, with the fraction at 2.12 R_s being the least certain. The cumulative surface mass per unit area obtained for the classical slab model is approximately 11, 16, 41, and 132 g/cm² for the four features, respectively, if the particles are solid H₂O ice. Both the fractional opacity and the mass density estimates represent upper bounds implied by the assumption of a uniformly mixed set of particles in a many-particle-thick vertical profile; lower estimates would result if the rings were assumed to be nearly a monolayer or if the vertical distribution of particles were size dependent.  相似文献