Specific studies about the stable isotope composition (18O/16O and D/H) of atmospheric icy conglomerations are still scarce. The present work offers, for the first time, a very detailed
analysis of oxygen and hydrogen isotopic signatures of unusually large ice conglomerations, or “megacryometeors”, that fell
to the ground in Spain during January 2000. The hydrochemical analysis is based on the bulk isotopic composition and systematic
selective sampling (deuterium isotopic mapping) of eleven selected specimens. δ18O and δD (V-SMOW) of all samples fall into the Meteoric Water Line matching well with typical tropospheric values. The distribution
of the samples on Craig's line suggests either a variation in condensation temperature and/or different residual fractions
of water vapour (Rayleigh processes). Three of the largest megacryometeors exhibited unequivocally distinctive negative values
(δ18O = −17.2%0 and δD = −127 %0 V-SMOW), (δ18O = −15.6%0 and δD = −112%0 V-SMOW) and (δ18O = −14.4%0 and δD = −100%0 V-SMOW), suggesting an atmospheric origin typical of the upper troposphere. Theoretical calculations indicate that the vertical
trajectory of growth was lower than 3.2 km. During the period in which the fall of megacryometeors occurred, anomalous atmospheric
conditions were observed to exist: a substantial lowering of the tropopause with a deep layer of saturated air below, ozone
depression and strong wind shear. Moreover, these large ice conglomerations occurred during non-thunderstorm conditions, suggesting
an alternative process of ice growth was responsible for their formation. 相似文献
A large-scale dieback event struck marshes along the northwestern Gulf of Mexico coast during summer 2000, in apparent response to a prolonged and severe drought. Along the Louisiana coast, large areas of the dominant marsh species,Spartina alterniflora, turned brown, followed by death of at least the aboveground structures of entire plant mortality. Key ecological and genetic measures were studied in a dieback-affected marsh in southwest Louisiana (C83 marsh, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge), for which existed predieback ecologic and genetic datasets. Effects on genetic diversity only were studied in a second set of sites in southeastern Louisiana (near Bay Junop), where the dieback was more widespread. We hypothesized that stem density, live aboveground biomass, and genetic diversity would be significantly reduced compared to predieback conditions and to nearby unaffected marshes. Stem densities and biomass levels approached predieback conditions 14 months after first observance of the dieback in the Sabine marsh and were similar to or exceeded the same measures for a nearby unaffected marsh. DNA extracted from leaf samples in the Sabine and Bay Junop sites was used to construct genotype profiles using AFLPs and analyzed using the complement of Simpson’s Index (1-D), the richness measure G/N, average heterozygosity <H>, and the estimated proportion of polymorphic genes <P>. Genetic diversity was relatively unaffected by the dieback at either the Sabine or Bay Junop sites. Evidence from field observations and the results of the genetic analyses suggest that seedling recruitment is an important factor in the recovery of both the Bay Junop and C83 sites, although re-growth from surviving below-ground rhizomes appeared to dominate recovery at the latter site. Survival of below-ground structures, leading to the rapid recovery observed, indicates a high level of resilience of the Sabine marsh to drought-induced stress. Still, the genetic diversity ofS. alterniflora-dominated marshes may be promoted by occasional disturbance events, which produce open areas in which seedling recruitment can occur. 相似文献
Ongoing monitoring programs and historical data are not sufficient to establish anthropogenic effects on the ecology of Chesapeake Bay. However, stratigraphic records preserved in the sediments can be used to reconstruct both prehistoric and historic sedimentation and water conditions of the bay, including anoxia and eutrophication. Pollen, diatoms, total organic carbon (TOC), nitrogen, total sulfur, and an estimate of the degree of pyritization of iron (DOP) are being used as paleoecological indicators in dated sediment cores for the purpose of reconstructing a long-term environmental history of the bay. Analysis of the data indicates that sedimentation rates, anoxic conditions, and eutrophication have increased in the Chesapeake Bay since the time of European settlement. For example, since initial land clearance around 1760, sedimentation rates have increased from as low as 0.02 cm yr?1 to an average 0.22 cm yr?1, and TOC from 0.14 mg cm?2 yr?1 to a high 4.96 mg cm?2 yr?1. Diatom community structure shows a steady decrease in overall diversity since 1760 and the centric:pennate ratio has increased significantly since 1940. 相似文献
Globally, coral reefs are threatened by ocean warming and acidification. The degree to which acidification will impact reefs is dependent on the local hydrodynamics, benthic community composition, and biogeochemical processes, all of which vary on different temporal and spatial scales. Characterizing the natural spatiotemporal variability of seawater carbonate chemistry across different reefs is critical for elucidating future impacts on coral reefs. To date, most studies have focused on select habitats, whereas fewer studies have focused on reef scale variability. Here, we investigate the temporal and spatial seawater physicochemical variability across the entire Heron Island coral reef platform, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, for a limited duration of six days. Autonomous sensor measurements at three sites across the platform were complemented by reef-wide boat surveys and discrete sampling of seawater carbonate chemistry during the morning and evening. Variability in both temporal and spatial physicochemical properties were predominantly driven by solar irradiance (and its effect on biological activity) and the semidiurnal tidal cycles but were influenced by the local geomorphology resulting in isolation of the platform during low tide and rapid flooding during rising tides. As a result, seawater from previous tidal cycles was sometimes trapped in different parts of the reef leading to unexpected biogeochemical trends in space and time. This study illustrates the differences and limitations of data obtained from high-frequency measurements in a few locations compared to low-frequency measurements at high spatial resolution and coverage, showing the need for a combined approach to develop predictive capability of seawater physicochemical properties on coral reefs.
Natural Hazards - Drawing from protection motivation theory (PMT), we examined how place attachment and negative emotions, alongside threat and coping appraisals, personal experiences, and... 相似文献
Brackets on the melting temperature of K2CO3 were experimentally determined at 1.86 ± 0.02 GPa (1,163–1,167°C), 2.79 ± 0.03 GPa (1,187–1,195°C), and 3.16 ± 0.04 GPa (1,183–1,189°C) in a piston-cylinder apparatus. These new data, in combination with published experiments at low pressure (<0.5 GPa), establish the K2CO3 fusion curve to 3.2 GPa. On the basis of these experiments and published thermodynamic data for crystalline and liquid K2CO3, the high-pressure density and compressibility of K2CO3 liquid were derived from the fusion curve. The pressure dependence of the liquid compressibility (K′0 = dK0/dP, where K0 = 1/β0) is between 16.2 and 11.6, with a best estimate of 13.7, in a third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EOS). This liquid K′0 leads to a density of 2,175 ± 36 kg/m3 at 4 GPa and 1,500°C, which is ∼30% lower than that reported in the literature on the basis of the falling-sphere method at the same conditions. The uncertainty in the liquid K′0 leads to an error in melt density of ± 2% at 4 GPa; the error decreases with decreasing pressure. With a K′0 of 13.7, the compressibility of K2CO3 at 1,500°C and 1 bar (K0 = 3.8 GPa) drops rapidly with increasing pressure (
), which prevents a density crossover with silicate melts, such as CaAlSi2O8 and CaMgSi2O6, at upper mantle depths. 相似文献
We used137Cs-dating to determine vertical accretion rates of 15 salt marshes on the Bay of Fundy, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the
Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Accretion rates are compared to a number of factors assumed to influence vertical marsh accretion:
rates of relative sea-level rise, climatic parameters (average daily temperatures and degree days) and latitude (related to
insolation and day length), sediment characteristics (organic matter inventory, bulk, mineral, and organic matter density),
distance of the core site from the nearest source of tidal waters, and the tidal range. Uniques to our study is a consideration
of climatic parameters and latitude, which should influence organic matter production, and thus vertical accretion rates.
Significant predictors of accretion rates (in order of importance) were found to be organic matter inventory, distance from
a creek, and range of mean tides. Contrary to conclusions from previous studies, we found that accretion rates decreased with
increasing tidal range, probably because we considered a wider span of tidal ranges, from micro- to macrotidal. Although four
marshes with low organic matter inventories also show a deficit in accretion with respect to relative sea-level rise, organic
matter is not limiting in two-thirds of the marshes studied, despite shorter growing seasons. 相似文献