Whole-basin,mass-balance approach for identifying critical phosphorus-loading thresholds in shallow lakes     

William F. Kenney  Thomas J. Whitmore  David G. Buck  Mark Brenner  Jason H. Curtis  Jian J. Di  Patricia L. Kenney  Claire L. Schelske 《Journal of Paleolimnology》2014,51(4):515-528

Lake Lochloosa, Florida (USA) recently underwent a shift from macrophyte to phytoplankton dominance, offering us the opportunity to use a whole-basin, mass-balance approach to investigate the influence of phosphorus loading on ecosystem change in a shallow, sub-tropical lake. We analyzed total phosphorus (TP) sedimentation in the basin to improve our understanding of the forcing factor responsible for the recent shift to phytoplankton dominance. We measured ²¹⁰Pb activity, organic matter (OM), organic carbon (OC) and TP in short sediment cores from 20 locations to develop a comprehensive, whole-basin estimate of recent mass sedimentation rates (MSR) for bulk sediment, OM, OC and TP. The whole-basin sedimentation models provided insights into historic lake processes that were not evident from the limited, historic water quality data. We used Akaike’s Information Criteria to differentiate statistically between constant MSR and exponentially increasing MSR. An eightfold, exponential increase in TP accumulation over the past century provided evidence for the critical role of increased P loading as a forcing factor in the recent shift to phytoplankton dominance. Model results show increased TP retention and decreased TP residence time were in-lake responses to increased TP loading and the shift from macrophyte to phytoplankton dominance in Lake Lochloosa. Comparison of TP loading with TP retention and historic, diatom-inferred limnetic TP concentrations identified the TP loading threshold that was exceeded to trigger the shift to phytoplankton dominance.  相似文献   

A Framework for Quantitative Assessment of Impacts Related to Energy and Mineral Resource Development     

Seth S. Haines  Jay E. Diffendorfer  Laurie Balistrieri  Byron Berger  Troy Cook  Don DeAngelis  Holly Doremus  Donald L. Gautier  Tanya Gallegos  Margot Gerritsen  Elisabeth Graffy  Sarah Hawkins  Kathleen M. Johnson  Jordan Macknick  Peter McMahon  Tim Modde  Brenda Pierce  John H. Schuenemeyer  Darius Semmens  Benjamin Simon  Jason Taylor  Katie Walton-Day 《Natural Resources Research》2014,23(1):3-17

Natural resource planning at all scales demands methods for assessing the impacts of resource development and use, and in particular it requires standardized methods that yield robust and unbiased results. Building from existing probabilistic methods for assessing the volumes of energy and mineral resources, we provide an algorithm for consistent, reproducible, quantitative assessment of resource development impacts. The approach combines probabilistic input data with Monte Carlo statistical methods to determine probabilistic outputs that convey the uncertainties inherent in the data. For example, one can utilize our algorithm to combine data from a natural gas resource assessment with maps of sage grouse leks and piñon-juniper woodlands in the same area to estimate possible future habitat impacts due to possible future gas development. As another example: one could combine geochemical data and maps of lynx habitat with data from a mineral deposit assessment in the same area to determine possible future mining impacts on water resources and lynx habitat. The approach can be applied to a broad range of positive and negative resource development impacts, such as water quantity or quality, economic benefits, or air quality, limited only by the availability of necessary input data and quantified relationships among geologic resources, development alternatives, and impacts. The framework enables quantitative evaluation of the trade-offs inherent in resource management decision-making, including cumulative impacts, to address societal concerns and policy aspects of resource development.  相似文献   

The emerging field of medical geology in brief: some examples     

Brenda J. Buck  Sandra C. Londono  Brett T. McLaurin  Rodney Metcalf  Hassina Mouri  Olle Selinus  Refilwe Shelembe 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2016,75(6):449

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The Influence of Coastal Nutrients on Phytoplankton Productivity in a Shallow Low Inflow Estuary,Drakes Estero,California (USA)     

Christina M. Buck  Frances P. Wilkerson  Alexander E. Parker  Richard C. Dugdale 《Estuaries and Coasts》2014,37(4):847-863

Seasonal wind-driven upwelling along the U.S. West Coast supplies large concentrations of nitrogen to surface waters that drives high primary production. However, the influence of coastal upwelled nutrients on phytoplankton productivity in adjacent small estuaries and bays is poorly understood. This study was conducted in Drakes Estero, California, a low inflow estuary located in the Point Reyes National Seashore and the site of an oyster mariculture facility that produces 40 % of the oysters harvested in California. Measurements of nutrients, chlorophyll a, phytoplankton functional groups, and phytoplankton carbon and nitrogen uptake were made between May 2010 and June 2011. A sea-to-land gradient in nutrient concentrations was observed with elevated nitrate at the coast and higher ammonium at the landward region. Larger phytoplankton cells (>5 μm diameter) were dominant within the outer and middle Estero where phytoplankton primary productivity was fueled by nitrate and f-ratios were >0.5; the greatest primary production rates were in the middle Estero. Primary production was lowest within the inner Estero, where smaller phytoplankton cells (<5 μm) were dominant, and nitrogen uptake was dominated by ammonium. Phytoplankton blooms occurred at the outer and middle Estero and were dominated by diatoms during the spring and dry-upwelling seasons but dinoflagellates during the fall. Small flagellated algae (>2 μm) were dominant at the inner Estero where no blooms occurred. These results indicate that coastal nitrate and phytoplankton are imported into Drakes Estero and lead to periods of high new production that can support the oyster mariculture; a likely scenario also for other small estuaries and bays.  相似文献   

Extent and Chronology of the Ross Sea Ice Sheet and the Wilson Piedmont Glacier along the Scott Coast at and Since the Last Glacial Maximum   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Brenda L. Hall  & George H. Denton 《Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography》2000,82(2-3):337-363

During the last glacial maximum, a coalescent ice mass consisting of the grounded Ross Sea ice sheet and an expanded Wilson Piedmont Glacier covered the southern Scott Coast. This coalescent ice mass was part of a larger grounded ice sheet that occupied the Ross Sea Embayment during the last glacial maximum. Deglaciation of the western Ross Sea Embayment adjacent to the southern Scott Coast was delayed until shortly before 6500 ¹⁴C yr bp , aconclusion based on ages of marine shells from McMurdo Sound, a relative sea-level curve, and algae that lived in ice-dammed lakes. Therefore, most recession of grounded ice in the Ross Sea Embayment occurred in mid to late Holocene time, after deglacial sea-level rise due to melting of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets essentially was accomplished. Rising sea level alone could not have driven grounding-line retreat back to the present-day Siple Coast.  相似文献   

Depth-stratified community zonation patterns on Gulf of Alaska rocky shores     

Brenda Konar  Katrin Iken  & Matthew Edwards 《Marine Ecology》2009,30(1):63-73

Vertical zonation patterns have been considered ubiquitous in intertidal ecosystems but questions remain about their generality for individual taxonomic groups and over broad spatial scales, and whether they continue into adjacent shallow subtidal habitats. Taxon richness, invertebrate abundance, and macroalgal biomass were examined in the summer of 2003 along a vertical gradient in the rocky intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats around Kodiak Island, Kachemak Bay, and Prince William Sound, all within the Gulf of Alaska. Replicate samples of benthic organisms were taken in the high (～ 7 m), mid (～ 4 m) and low (～ 0 m) intertidal (relative to MLLW), and at 1, 5, 10 and 15 m water depths at three sites in each region, and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Our primary goals were to assess (1) how estimates of taxon richness, invertebrate abundance, and macroalgal biomass vary among intertidal heights and subtidal depths and (2) how general these patterns are when considered across the Gulf of Alaska. Our results show that when all invertebrates were considered together, most of the variation in taxon richness was accounted for by differences among depths (i.e. intertidal heights and subtidal depths) (～ 51%), and among replicate samples within each depth (～ 26%). Little to none of the variation was accounted for by differences among sites within each region (～ 1%) or among regions themselves (～ 0%). When considered across the Gulf of Alaska, total taxon richness and organism abundance were greatest in the low intertidal/shallow subtidal and decreased with increasing height/depth. When separated by phylum and examined together with macroalgae, variation in abundance and/or biomass among depths was significant and accounted for most of the variability. Differences among regions and sites within each region were not significant and accounted for little to none of the variance. Because the pattern of zonation varied among sites within each region, it reduced the generality of a single zonation pattern for the Gulf of Alaska. Likewise, when community composition was compared among depths, geographic regions and sites within each region using multivariate analyses, vertical zonation patterns were evident at a regional scale, but high variability in these patterns among sites within each region reduced the generality of these patterns.  相似文献   

New relative sea-level curves for the southern Scott Coast,Antarctica: evidence for Holocene deglaciation of the western Ross Sea     

Brenda L. Hall  George H. Denton 《第四纪科学杂志》1999,14(7):641-650

Here we present new relative sea-level (RSL) curves developed from Holocene-aged raised beaches along the southern Scott Coast of the western Ross Sea, Antarctica. Fifty-four dates of marine shells, seal skin and elephant seal remains incorporated within raised beaches during storms afford a chronology for these curves. All of the curves show the same pattern and timing of RSL change within a small range of error. The best-dated curve suggests that final unloading of grounded Ross Sea ice from the southern Scott Coast and McMurdo Sound region occurred shortly before 6500 ¹⁴C yr BP. This age is consistent with glacial geological evidence that places deglaciation between 5730 and 8340 ¹⁴C yr BP. Our data strongly suggest that grounding-line retreat of the Ross Sea ice sheet southward through the McMurdo Sound region occurred in mid- and late Holocene time. If this is correct, then rising sea level could not have driven ice recession to the present-day grounding line on the Siple Coast, because global deglacial sea-level rise was essentially accomplished by mid-Holocene time. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献