Nitrogen isotope ratios of nitrate as a clue to the origin of nitrogen on the Pacific coast of Japan     

Ryo Sugimoto  Akihide Kasai  Toshihiro Miyajima  Kouichi Fujita 《Continental Shelf Research》2009

To clarify the sources and transformation of NO₃⁻ on the Pacific coast of Japan, observations over the continental shelf were conducted during the summer in 2005 and 2006 when the Kuroshio flowed close to and away from the coastal area, respectively. Below the halocline, there are two prominent salinity peaks that originated in two different waters. In the subsurface layer, the salinity maximum (S_max) was indicative of the Kuroshio Water (KW), while the salinity minimum (S_min) in the middle layer at ∼400 m depth was indicative of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW). δ¹⁵N_NO3 ranged from 4.1‰ to 5.1‰ with a mean of 4.8±0.4‰ in the deeper water around S_min. Below 50 m depth over the shelf break, δ¹⁵N_NO3 values (3.1±0.8‰ in 2005 and 4.6±0.3‰ in 2006) clearly increased as contribution of NPIW increased in 2006. On the contrary, subsurface δ¹⁵N of NO₃⁻ values (−1.1±0.1‰) remained unchanged in both years, although the contribution of the KW to the subsurface water changed significantly. This suggests that the source of NO₃⁻ has little effect on the δ¹⁵N of NO₃⁻ in this layer. The negative δ¹⁵N values also coincided with the base of the chlorophyll maximum layer suggesting that these isotopic signals must be evidence of active nitrification in the upper layer.  相似文献   

Genetic diversity and metal tolerance of two marine species: a comparison between populations from contaminated and reference sites     

Ross K  Cooper N  Bidwell JR  Elder J 《Marine pollution bulletin》2002,44(7):671-679

Long-term contamination of the marine environment surrounding a lead smelter offered a unique opportunity to examine how pollutants might have acted to alter genetic characteristics of populations of organisms in the receiving system. This study used random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis to compare the genetic diversity of populations of the prawn, Leander intermedius, and the isopod, Platynympha longicaudata from the smelter discharge site with reference populations. The genetic diversity of the prawn population from the smelter discharge site (Port Pirie) was lower than that found in one reference population, and not significantly different from the other two reference populations. Genetic diversity of the Port Pirie population of isopods was found to be significantly lower than that of all reference populations. Prawns and isopods were also exposed to metal mixtures in the laboratory in a similar ratio to that found in seston near the smelter effluent discharge site. Both pre-exposed and reference populations of prawns tolerated elevated levels of metals and exhibited no significant difference in response. This contrasted with the isopods, with the pre-exposed isopod population showing greater tolerance to elevated metal levels compared with the reference population. These results highlight the need to include a number of reference populations for comparative purposes in genetic diversity studies, and the need to assess the influence of pollution on the genetic diversity of more than one species if genetic diversity analyses are to be used to gauge remediation success.  相似文献   

Characteristics of alkenone distributions in suspended and sinking particles in the northwestern North Pacific     

Naomi Harada  Miyako Sato  Aya Shiraishi 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2006,70(8):2045-2062

We investigated alkenones recorded in suspended particles and a settling particle time series collected at three stations, 40N (40°N, 165°E), KNOT (44°N, 155°E), and 50N (50°N, 165°E), in the northwestern North Pacific from December 1997 to May 1999. Emiliania huxleyi, the most abundant alkenone producer in this area, is present in surface to subsurface (to ∼50 m depth) waters. The alkenone concentrations recorded in the suspended particles indicated that the seasonal alkenone particle distribution differed significantly interannually. Alkenone export fluxes at the three sediment-trap stations ranged from 0.16 to 49.3 μg m⁻² day⁻¹, and the maximum export flux, which occurred in summer to fall (July-November), was associated with a high organic carbon export flux. The amount of alkenone produced during the maximum export season accounted for 60-80% of the total annual amount of alkenone, and the alkenones accumulated in the sediment below the traps had characteristics corresponding to subsurface waters during the summer-autumn season. Alkenone-derived temperatures recorded in suspended particles corresponded to the in situ temperature within ∼2 °C. Although alkenone-derived temperatures corresponded approximately to the temperatures observed in the stratified subsurface waters at the three trap stations during the high-export season, large differences were observed during the low-export (winter-spring) period. For example, the alkenone-derived temperatures observed at stations KNOT and 50N were much higher than the in situ subsurface temperatures reported in the World Ocean Atlas 2001. Relatively large differences between alkenone-derived temperatures and in situ temperatures in the subarctic might be due to (1) a low-light limitation or (2) contributions of allochthonous alkenones in particulate material transported from subtropical areas within a warm-core ring.  相似文献   

In situ flash X-ray observation of projectile penetration processes and crater cavity growth in porous gypsum target analogous to low-density asteroids     

Minami Yasui  Masahiko Arakawa  Sunao Hasegawa  Yukihiro Fujita  Toshihiko Kadono 《Icarus》2012,221(2):646-657

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Thresholds of Adverse Effects of Macroalgal Abundance and Sediment Organic Matter on Benthic Habitat Quality in Estuarine Intertidal Flats     

Martha Sutula  Lauri Green  Giancarlo Cicchetti  Naomi Detenbeck  Peggy Fong 《Estuaries and Coasts》2014,37(6):1532-1548

Confidence in the use of macroalgae as an indicator of estuarine eutrophication is limited by the lack of quantitative data on the thresholds of its adverse effects on benthic habitat quality. In the present study, we utilized sediment profile imagery (SPI) to identify thresholds of adverse effects of macroalgal biomass, sediment organic carbon (% OC) and sediment nitrogen (% N) concentrations on the apparent Redox Potential Discontinuity (aRPD), the depth that marks the boundary between oxic near-surface sediment and the underlying suboxic or anoxic sediment. At 16 sites in eight California estuaries, SPI, macroalgal biomass, sediment percent fines, % OC, and % N were analyzed at 20 locations along an intertidal transect. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was used to identify step thresholds associated with a transition from "reference" or natural background levels of macroalgae, defined as that range in which no effect on aRPD was detected. Ranges of 3–15 g dw macroalgae m^?2, 0.4–0.7 % OC and 0.05–0.07 % N were identified as transition zones from reference conditions across these estuaries. Piecewise regression analysis was used to identify exhaustion thresholds, defined as a region along the stress–response curve where severe adverse effects occur; levels of 175 g dw macroalgae m^?2, 1.1 % OC and 0.1 % N were identified as thresholds associated with a shallowing of aRPD to near zero depths. As an indicator of ecosystem condition, shallow aRPD has been related to reduced volume and quality for benthic infauna and alteration in community structure. These effects have been linked to reduced availability of forage for fish, birds and other invertebrates, as well as to undesirable changes in biogeochemical cycling.  相似文献   

The role of rare rainstorms in the formation of calcic soil horizons on alluvial surfaces in extreme deserts     

Rivka Amit  Yehouda Enzel  Naomi Porat 《Quaternary Research》2010,74(2):177-187

Soils in similar geomorphic settings in hyperarid deserts (< 50 mm yr⁻¹) should have similar characteristics because a negative moisture balance controls their development. However, Reg soils in the hyperarid southern Negev and Namib deserts are distinctly different. Soils developed on stable alluvial surfaces with only direct input of rainfall and dust depend heavily on rainfall characteristics. Annual rainfall amount can be similar (15-30 mm), but storm duration can drastically alter Reg soil properties in deserts. The cooler fall/winter and dry hot summers of the southern Negev Desert with a predominance brief (≤ 1 day) rainstorms result in gypsic-saline soils without any calcic soil horizon. Although the Namib Desert receives only 50-60% of the southern Negev annual rainfall, its rainstorm duration is commonly 2-4 days. This improves leaching of the top soil under even lower annual rainfall amount and results in weeks-long grass cover. The long-term cumulative effect of these rare rain-grass relationships produces a calcic-gypsic-saline soil. The development of these different kinds of desert soils highlights the importance of daily to seasonal rainfall characteristics in influencing soil-moisture regime in deserts, and has important implications for the use of key desert soil properties as proxies in paleoclimatology.  相似文献