Starburst activity in a ROSAT narrow emission-line galaxy     

Katherine F. Gunn  I. M. MHardy  O. Almaini  T. Shanks  T. J. Sumner  T. W. B. Muxlow  A. Efstathiou  L. R. Jones  S. M. Croom  J. C. Manners  A. M. Newsam  K. O. Mason  S. B. G. Serjeant  M. Rowan-Robinson 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2001,324(2):305-312

We present multiwaveband photometric and optical spectropolarimetric observations of the R =15.9 narrow emission-line galaxy R117_A which lies on the edge of the error circle of the ROSAT X-ray source R117. The overall spectral energy distribution of the galaxy is well modelled by a combination of a normal spiral galaxy and a moderate-strength burst of star formation. The far-infrared and radio emission is extended along the major axis of the galaxy, indicating an extended starburst.
On positional grounds, the galaxy is a good candidate for the identification of R117, and the observed X-ray flux is very close to what would be expected from a starburst of the observed far-infrared and radio fluxes. Although an obscured high-redshift QSO cannot be entirely ruled out as contributing some fraction of the X-ray flux, we find no candidates to K =20.8 within the X-ray error box, and so conclude that R117_A is responsible for a large fraction, if not all, of the X-ray emission from R117.
Searches for indicators of an obscured AGN in R117_A have so far proven negative; deep spectropolarimetric observations show no signs of broad lines to a limit of 1 per cent and, for the observed far-infrared and radio emission, we would expect 10 times greater X-ray flux if the overall emission were powered by an AGN. We therefore conclude that the X-ray emission from R117 is dominated by starburst emission from the galaxy R117_A.  相似文献   

Anoxic nitrification: Evidence from Humber Estuary sediments (UK)   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Rebecca Bartlett  Robert J.G. Mortimer  Katherine Morris 《Chemical Geology》2008,250(1-4):29-39

Conventional understanding of the nitrogen cycle in marine sediments has changed in recent years with the discovery of an alternative pathway for ammonia oxidation via the reduction of manganese oxides (during anoxic nitrification). In anoxic sediments, the potential for manganese oxides to serve as oxidant for nitrification may be considerable yet previous work on manganese-rich sediments has suggested anoxic nitrification may not be significant. In this study, the potential for anoxic nitrification in a range of sediment types was investigated. Laboratory incubation of sediment from three sites on the Humber Estuary, a microbially diverse environment, showed anoxic accumulation of nitrate, nitrite and dinitrogen gas, with and without the addition of synthetic manganese oxides. Incubation experiments confirmed anoxic nitrification as microbially mediated, with heat-killed controls yielding negative results. The anoxic nitrification reaction significantly depleted ammonia concentrations, and occurred simultaneously with manganese-, iron- and sulphate reduction, and methanogenesis. Taken in conjunction with other studies, results suggest anoxic nitrification may not only be dependent on total manganese concentrations but on manganese dynamics. Anoxic nitrification may be explained as a non-steady state reaction, dependent on the recent stability of a sediment system. Physical perturbation of sediments may cause the redistribution and/or introduction of manganese oxides and promote anoxic nitrification. The significance and persistence of anoxic nitrification is likely to depend on the frequency and magnitude of sediment perturbation, which explains why the reaction varies so widely across studied sites, and why it may not occur in some manganese-rich sediment.  相似文献   

Carbon dioxide partial pressures in North Pacific surface waters — Time variations     

Louis I. Gordon  P. Kilho Park  Stephen W. Hager  Timothy R. Parsons 《Journal of Oceanography》1971,27(3):81-90

Observations were made of time variations of the carbon dioxide partial pressures (Pco₂) of the atmosphere and surface sea waters in the Pacific subarctic region. Data were obtained on a cruise of the USC & GSSSURVEYOR in October, 1968 and on the TRANSPAC expedition of the CNAVENDEAVOUR in March–April, 1969. A rise in surface water Pco₂ of 18×10^–6 atm occurred in a period of 30–45 days in March–April due principally to spring warming of surface waters. An average increase of 60×10^–6 atm occurred between October, 1968 and March, 1969 as a result mainly of cessation of summer phytoplankton production and the onset of winter-storm-driven vertical mixing. Because the air-sea Pco₂ gradient not only changed appreciably in magnitude but also changed sign, there are important implications for calculations of air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide on the ocean wide scale.Data contained in this paper comprise part of a dissertation to be submitted by Louis I. Gordon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. at Oregon State University.  相似文献   

Trophodynamic phasing in theoretical,experimental aud natural pelagic ecosystems     

Timothy R. Parsons 《Journal of Oceanography》1988,44(2):94-101

It is a great honour to be awarded the Oceanographical Society of Japan Prize for 1988 and to be provided with this opportunity to review our work on trophic relations in the pelagic environment of the sea. Many Japanese colleagues have participated in Canada on our experiments. These persons include Drs. H. Seki, M. Takahashi, A. Hattori, T. Ikeda, I. Koike, M. Ohtsu, S. Ichimura, K. Iseki, E. Matsumoto, N. Handa, Y. Maita, and others without whom our work on marine ecosystems would have assumed much less importance. In addition, the visit of Professor M. Uda to Nanaimo in 1959, and his lectures on fisheries oceanography, have always been an inspiration to me in the practical application of oceanography. For me, work on trophodynamic relationships grew out of my early association with Dr. J.D.H. Strickland who initiated some ecosystem studies using large plastic bags in the 1960s (Strickland and Terhune, 1961; Strickland, 1967). The CEPEX program (e.g. Parsons, 1978), which was started about a decade later, gave us the first real opportunity to break away from laboratory studies, where only species which generally grew best were studied, and to perform studies under near natural conditions on multiorganism communities. The purpose of this program was to provide some answers to practical problems as well as to gain a fundamental understanding of biological oceanographic processes. This program was started at a time when a large number of stories were circulating (e.g. Heyerdahl, 1975) that man was about to kill life in the oceans through pollution. In a practical sense what I believe that the CEPEX program showed was that the oceans were much more resilient than had been supposed. The effect of many kinds of pollutants tested during this program was to change the course of ecosystem interactions but not to cause the elimination of life. The scientific value of these experiments went much further in giving us time series data about how the physical/chemical environment interacts with different trophic levels. For the first time, the biological oceanographer was liberated from the hopeless entanglement of time and space in the sea, and it was now possible to follow population dynamics of planktonic organisms (Mullin, 1982). Presented at the annual meeting, Tokyo, 4 April 1988.  相似文献   

Cross-shelf distribution of copepods and the role of event-scale winds in a northern California upwelling zone     

Katherine M. Papastephanou  Stephen M. Bollens  Anne M. Slaughter 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》2006,53(25-26):3078

Cross-shelf distribution and abundance of copepod nauplii and copepodids were measured during three summer upwelling seasons (2000–2002) in a coastal upwelling zone off northern California. These 3 years varied considerably in the intensity of winds, abundance of chlorophyll, and water temperature. The cruises in 2000 were characterized by relaxation conditions, with generally high levels of chlorophyll and high water temperature. The cruises in 2001 and 2002 were dominated by strong and persistent upwelling events, leading to lower chlorophyll and water temperatures. The copepod assemblage was dominated by Oithona spp., Acartia spp. and Pseudocalanus spp., with Metridia pacifica (lucens), Microsetella rosea, Oncaea spp. and Tortanus discaudatus also common during all 3 years. The cross-shelf distribution of copepods was generally shifted offshore during upwelling and onshore during relaxation events, although some variability between species occurred. Abundance of all life stages generally exhibited a negative correlation with cross-shelf transport averaged over at least 1–4 days and lagged by 0–3 days, indicating lower abundances during and immediately after active upwelling. However, copepod nauplii seemed to respond positively to wind events lasting 1–5 days followed by a period of relaxation lasting 6 or 7 days. These rapid rates of change in abundance are probably too great to be due to in situ growth and reproduction alone; physical processes must also play a role. These results suggest a highly dynamic relationship between copepods and upwelling events off northern California, with species-specific responses to upwelling to be expected.  相似文献   

The use of controlled experimental ecosystems: A review     

T. R. Parsons 《Journal of Oceanography》1981,37(5):294-298

During the past 20 years, the controlled experimental ecosystem has found wide-spread use in marine sciences. Uses have included the study of natural ecology, environmental pollution and computer model analysis. In all these roles, the experimental ecosystem serves as a model of nature and results can be used to obtain greater insight into the oceanography of the sea. Four different types of experimental apparatus are described, and experimental procedures and results are reviewed and discussed.  相似文献   

Influence of physiology and climate on δD of leaf wax n-alkanes from C₃ and C₄ grasses     

Francesca A. Smith  Katherine H. Freeman 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2006,70(5):1172-1187

We measured hydrogen isotope compositions (δD) of high-molecular-weight n-alkanes (C₂₇-C₃₃) from grasses grown in greenhouses and collected from the US Great Plains. In both cases, n-alkanes from C₄ grasses are enriched in D by more than 20‰ relative to those from C₃ grasses. The apparent enrichment factor (ε_C29-GW) between C₂₉n-alkane and greenhouse water is −165 ± 12‰ for C₃ grasses and −140 ± 15‰ for C₄ grasses. For samples from the Great Plains, δD values of C₂₉n-alkanes range from −280 to −136‰, with values for C₄ grasses ca. 21‰ more positive than those for C₃ grasses from the same site. Differences in C₃ and C₄ grass n-alkane δD values are consistent with the shorter interveinal distance in C₄ grass leaves, and greater back-diffusion of enriched water from stomata to veins, than in C₃ grass leaves. Great Plains’ grass n-alkane isotopic ratios largely reflect precipitation δD values. However, the offset or apparent fractionation between n-alkanes and precipitation is not uniform and varies with annual precipitation and relative humidity, suggesting climatic controls on lipid δD values. The dryer sites exhibit smaller absolute apparent fractionation indicative of D-enrichment of source waters through transpiration and/or soil evaporation. To explore the relationship between climate and n-alkane δD values, we develop three models. (1) The ‘direct analog’ model estimates δD_C29 values simply by applying the apparent enrichment factors, ε_C29-GW, observed in greenhouse grasses to precipitation δD values from the Great Plains. (2) The ‘leaf-water’ model uses a Craig-Gordon model to estimate transpirational D-enrichment for both greenhouse and field sites. The transpiration-corrected enrichment factors between C₂₉ and bulk leaf-water, ε_C29-GW, calculated from the greenhouse samples (−181‰ for C₃ and −157‰ for C₄) are applied to estimate δD_C29 values relative to modeled bulk leaf-water δD values. (3) The ‘soil- and leaf-water’ model estimates the combined effects of soil evaporation, modeled by analogy with a flow-through lake, and transpiration on δD_C29 values. Predictions improve with the addition of the explicit consideration of transpiration and soil evaporation, indicating that they are both important processes in determining plant lipid δD values. D-enrichment caused by these evaporative processes is controlled by relative humidity, suggesting that important climatic information is recorded in leaf wax n-alkane δD values. Calibration studies such as this one provide a baseline for future studies of plant-water-deuterium systematics and form the foundation for interpretation of plant wax hydrogen isotope ratios as a paleo-aridity proxy.  相似文献   

The Dahuiyeh (Zarand) earthquake of 2005 February 22 in central Iran: reactivation of an intramountain reverse fault   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

M. Talebian  J. Biggs  M. Bolourchi  A. Copley  A. Ghassemi  M. Ghorashi  J. Hollingsworth  J. Jackson  E. Nissen  B. Oveisi  B. Parsons  K. Priestley  A. Saiidi 《Geophysical Journal International》2006,164(1):137-148

  相似文献   

δC of low-molecular-weight organic acids generated by the hydrous pyrolysis of oil-prone source rocks     

Robert F Dias  Katherine H FreemanMichael D Lewan  Stephen G Franks 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2002,66(15):2755-2769

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) aqueous organic acids were generated from six oil-prone source rocks under hydrous-pyrolysis conditions. Differences in total organic carbon-normalized acid generation are a function of the initial thermal maturity of the source rock and the oxygen content of the kerogen (OI). Carbon-isotope analyses were used to identify potential generation mechanisms and other chemical reactions that might influence the occurrence of LMW organic acids. The generated LMW acids display increasing ¹³C content as a function of decreasing molecular weight and increasing thermal maturity. The magnitudes of observed isotope fractionations are source-rock dependent. These data are consistent with δ¹³C values of organic acids presented in a field study of the San Joaquin Basin and likely reflect the contributions from alkyl-carbons and carboxyl-carbons with distinct δ¹³C values. The data do not support any particular organic acid generation mechanism. The isotopic trends observed as a function of molecular weight, thermal maturity, and rock type are not supported by either generation mechanisms or destructive decarboxylation. It is therefore proposed that organic acids experience isotopic fractionation during generation consistent with a primary kinetic isotope effect and subsequently undergo an exchange reaction between the carboxyl carbon and dissolved inorganic carbon that significantly influences the carbon isotope composition observed for the entire molecule. Although generation and decarboxylation may influence the δ¹³C values of organic acids, in the hydrous pyrolysis system described, the nondestructive, pH-dependent exchange of carboxyl carbon with inorganic carbon appears to be the most important reaction mechanism controlling the δ¹³C values of the organic acids.  相似文献   

Responses of interrill runoff and erosion rates to vegetation change in southern Arizona   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Anthony J. Parsons  Athol D. Abrahams  John Wainwright 《Geomorphology》1996,14(4):311-317

Vegetation change, fi-om grassland to shrubland, has occurred over much of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts during the past century. The effect of this vegetation change on interrill runoff and erosion was examined by conducting rainfall-simulation experiments on large runoff plots on contemporary grassland and shrubland hillslopes. These experiments show that, compared to the grassland, the interrill portions of shrubland hillslopes (1) have higher runoff rates, (2) experience equilibrium runoff conditions much more frequently, (3) exhibit higher overland flow velocities, and (4) are subject to greater rates of erosion. The environmental change that has led to the vegetation change has been relatively minor, but its geomorphic impact has been substantial.  相似文献