Abundance of the introduced seastar, Asterias amurensis, and spatial variability in soft sediment assemblages in SE Tasmania: Clear correlations but complex interpretation     

D. Jeff Ross  Craig R. Johnson  Chad L. Hewitt   《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2006,67(4):695-707

The northern Pacific seastar, Asterias amurensis, was first collected in southeast Tasmania in 1986. Mistaken for the endemic asteroid Uniophora granifera, its true identity was not realised until 1992. It is now a conspicuous predator in soft sediment habitats in this region, and is considered a major threat to native assemblages and commercial species. We examined the structure of soft sediment assemblages at different spatial scales in southeast Tasmania, and correlated spatial variation in community composition with seastar abundances. We found that the structure of soft sediment assemblages is highly variable at a range of spatial scales from metres to tens of kilometres. Clear differences in the composition of assemblages and abundances of major taxa were detected between areas with and without seastars and between areas with low and high seastar densities. However, the nature of these patterns suggests that they are more likely due to differences in sediment characteristics than due to impacts of the seastar. Thus, spatial differences in soft sediment assemblages might have been erroneously attributed to seastars without detailed information on important physical factors such as sediment characteristics. A second survey, using larger sampling units (1 m²) but across a more limited spatial extent, targeted bivalves and heart urchins that were identified as important prey of the seastar in observations of feeding and in experimental studies. Large-scale patterns of abundance and size structure were consistent with seastar effects anticipated from small-scale experimental and feeding studies for some, but not all, species. While the field survey ultimately provided evidence about the presence or absence of seastar impacts at large-scales, the identification of key ecological variables in experimental and feeding studies proved crucial to both the design and interpretation of patterns observed in the large-scale surveys. Overall, this work highlighted the necessity to consider multiple lines of evidence rather than relying on a single ‘inferential’ test, in the absence of pre-impact data.  相似文献   

Ground truth seismic events and location capability at Degelen mountain, Kazakhstan     

Chad Trabant  Clifford Thurber  William Leith 《Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors》2002,131(2):155-171

We utilized nuclear explosions from the Degelen Mountain sub-region of the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS), Kazakhstan, to assess seismic location capability directly. Excellent ground truth information for these events was either known or was estimated from maps of the Degelen Mountain adit complex. Origin times were refined for events for which absolute origin time information was unknown using catalog arrival times, our ground truth location estimates, and a time baseline provided by fixing known origin times during a joint hypocenter determination (JHD). Precise arrival time picks were determined using a waveform cross-correlation process applied to the available digital data. These data were used in a JHD analysis. We found that very accurate locations were possible when high precision, waveform cross-correlation arrival times were combined with JHD. Relocation with our full digital data set resulted in a mean mislocation of 2 km and a mean 95% confidence ellipse (CE) area of 6.6 km² (90% CE: 5.1 km²), however, only 5 of the 18 computed error ellipses actually covered the associated ground truth location estimate. To test a more realistic nuclear test monitoring scenario, we applied our JHD analysis to a set of seven events (one fixed) using data only from seismic stations within 40° epicentral distance. Relocation with these data resulted in a mean mislocation of 7.4 km, with four of the 95% error ellipses covering less than 570 km² (90% CE: 438 km²), and the other two covering 1730 and 8869 km² (90% CE: 1331 and 6822 km²). Location uncertainties calculated using JHD often underestimated the true error, but a circular region with a radius equal to the mislocation covered less than 1000 km² for all events having more than three observations.  相似文献   

Spatial and Temporal Variations in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrodinium bahamense</Emphasis> Cyst Concentrations in the Sediments of Bioluminescent Mangrove Lagoon,St. Croix,USVI     

Paula E. Reidhaar  Chad S. Lane  Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson  Douglas W. Gamble 《Estuaries and Coasts》2016,39(3):682-694

Mangrove Lagoon, located on the island of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands (USVI), is one of few actively bioluminescent lagoons in a location experiencing significant anthropogenic impacts. The bioluminescence is due to an abundance of the dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense in the water column. We recovered surface sediments and sediment cores from Mangrove Lagoon to analyze the spatial distribution and temporal variability of P. bahamense cysts in this system. Surface sediment P. bahamense cyst concentrations ranged from 0 to 466 cysts g^?1 dry sediment, with higher abundances associated with elevated surface water nutrient concentrations and a mixed terrestrial–marine organic matter source regime. In combination with available bioassay data, we hypothesize that phytoplankton utilize nutrients rapidly and subsequent decay of organic matter makes nutrients available for dinoflagellates at the sediment–water interface in the eastern and northern quadrants of the lagoon. However, the nutrients are rapidly exhausted during counterclockwise lagoon circulation resulting in the decline of primary productivity and dinoflagellate abundance in the western quadrants. Downcore profiles suggest that P. bahamense blooms have been occurring for decades, declining in recent years. No cysts were present in sediments predating dredging activities of the 1960s that created Mangrove Lagoon. Recent reductions in cyst abundance may be the result of limited primary productivity caused by restricted water exchange with Salt River Bay due to shallowing of a sill at the mouth of the lagoon. This research highlights the need for more comprehensive geochemical and fossil analyses to better understand long-term ecological variability and inform conservation efforts of these unique habitats.  相似文献   

Community‐Derived Standards for LA‐ICP‐MS U‐(Th‐)Pb Geochronology – Uncertainty Propagation,Age Interpretation and Data Reporting          下载免费PDF全文

Matthew S. A. Horstwood  George Gehrels  Simon E. Jackson  Noah M. McLean  Chad Paton  Norman J. Pearson  Keith Sircombe  Paul Sylvester  Pieter Vermeesch  James F. Bowring  Daniel J. Condon  Blair Schoene 《Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research》2016,40(3):311-332

The LA‐ICP‐MS U‐(Th‐)Pb geochronology international community has defined new standards for the determination of U‐(Th‐)Pb ages. A new workflow defines the appropriate propagation of uncertainties for these data, identifying random and systematic components. Only data with uncertainties relating to random error should be used in weighted mean calculations of population ages; uncertainty components for systematic errors are propagated after this stage, preventing their erroneous reduction. Following this improved uncertainty propagation protocol, data can be compared at different uncertainty levels to better resolve age differences. New reference values for commonly used zircon, monazite and titanite reference materials are defined (based on ID‐TIMS) after removing corrections for common lead and the effects of excess ²³⁰Th. These values more accurately reflect the material sampled during the determination of calibration factors by LA‐ICP‐MS analysis. Recommendations are made to graphically represent data only with uncertainty ellipses at 2s and to submit or cite validation data with sample data when submitting data for publication. New data‐reporting standards are defined to help improve the peer‐review process. With these improvements, LA‐ICP‐MS U‐(Th‐)Pb data can be considered more robust, accurate, better documented and quantified, directly contributing to their improved scientific interpretation.  相似文献   

A Note on Extension Variances in IR2     

Chadœuf  Joël  Moran  Chris  Goulard  Michel 《Mathematical Geosciences》1998,30(6):575-587

Matheron (1971) proposed an approximation of the extension variance in IR. We propose in this note an extension of this formula in IR ² , based on a MacLaurin formula. Its application is shown in an example, the estimation of the maximum depressional storage of a soil surface.  相似文献   

Late-Holocene paleoenvironmental change at mid-elevation on the Caribbean slope of the Cordillera Central,Dominican Republic: a multi-site,multi-proxy analysis     

Chad S. Lane  Sally P. Horn  Claudia I. Mora  Kenneth H. Orvis 《Quaternary Science Reviews》2009,28(23-24):2239-2260

High-resolution proxy records from the circum-Caribbean region indicate significant variation in Late Holocene climate, especially precipitation, attributed primarily to shifts in the mean annual position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The paleoenvironmental and cultural impacts of this Late-Holocene climate variability have been analyzed intensively in the western Caribbean, and to a lesser extent in the southern Caribbean. However, the occurrence and impacts of Late Holocene climate shifts in the eastern Caribbean, especially in island interiors, has not been well documented. Here we present sediment records of Late-Holocene paleoenvironmental change from two lakes located on the Caribbean slope of the Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic that span the last ～3000 years. Sediment characteristics, pollen, charcoal, biogenic carbonate assemblages and isotopic composition, and bulk sedimentary carbon isotope values in Laguna Castilla and Laguna de Salvador indicate extreme shifts in hydrology, vegetation, and disturbance regimes in response to climate change and human activity in the lake watersheds. Close correspondence between the hydrological histories of the lakes and trace metal concentrations in sediments of the Cariaco Basin indicate that precipitation variability here responds to the same controls, and may similarly reflect shifts in the mean annual position of the ITCZ. Human occupation of the watersheds appears to be closely linked to severe dry periods and may indicate larger scale cultural responses to precipitation variability on the island of Hispaniola. Prehistoric human populations strongly affected vegetation and disturbance regimes in the lake watersheds. Impacts may have lasted several centuries and may have been more severe than impacts of modern populations.  相似文献   

Mechanisms for the prevention of marine bioinvasions for better biosecurity     

Hewitt CL  Campbell ML 《Marine pollution bulletin》2007,55(7-9):395-401

Biosecurity management allows countries to meet a number of international obligations and provides some protection from potential degradation of environmental, economic, social and cultural values. Ocean governance relies on the precepts of ecologically sustainable development to manage the multiple uses in the coastal zone. The increasing reliance on aquaculture to provide food security and economic development has led to an increase in the use of non-native target species grown as food sources. Increased economic activity has led to shifting trade patterns and increased efficiencies in vessels with the resulting increase in the number of introduced marine species via ballast water and hull fouling. Herein we review the different marine biosecurity strategies and legislation that have been implemented internationally and locally that aid in preventing and managing introduced marine species, with some attention to Australia and New Zealand as examples. Typical tools being used include quarantine, Import Health Standards, voluntary cleaning guidelines, and risk assessment, all of which aim to prevent introductions.  相似文献   

Evidence from the Historical Record to Support Projection of Future Wind Regimes: An Application to Canada     

Chad Shouquan Cheng 《大气与海洋》2014,52(3):232-241

In the field of climate change impact analysis, bidirectional changes in projections of future wind regimes varying among studies, locations, and models have been described in the literature, which is understandable from a global perspective. However, we should attempt to find evidence in the historical record to support these projections. This paper attempts to address this issue by analyzing historical wind gust observations for up to 57 years (1953–2009) over Canada. Two wind gust analysis techniques were used: the speed of daily wind gust events ≥50?km?h^?1 was compared with (1) the climatological daily temperature anomaly and (2) the climatological daily sea level air pressure anomaly. In addition, the frequency of daily wind gust events ≥90?km?h^?1 was compared with both daily temperature and pressure anomalies. The results indicate that during the past five decades gust wind speed over Canada increased significantly as the daily temperature anomaly increased and the daily pressure anomaly decreased. About 50–60% of daily wind gust events ≥90?km?h^?1 occurred with positive daily temperature anomalies and negative daily pressure anomalies. One major conclusion is that the methods used in and results derived from this study might be applied to climate change impact analysis to support projections of future wind regimes.  相似文献   

Building zoned ignimbrites by recycling silicic cumulates: insight from the 1,000 km<Superscript>3</Superscript> Carpenter Ridge Tuff,CO     

Olivier?BachmannEmail author  Chad?D.?Deering  Peter?W.?Lipman  Charles?Plummer 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》2014,167(6):1025

The ~1,000 km³ Carpenter Ridge Tuff (CRT), erupted at 27.55 Ma during the mid-tertiary ignimbrite flare-up in the western USA, is among the largest known strongly zoned ash-flow tuffs. It consists primarily of densely welded crystal-poor rhyolite with a pronounced, highly evolved chemical signature (high Rb/Sr, low Ba, Zr, Eu), but thickly ponded intracaldera CRT is capped by a more crystal-rich, less silicic facies. In the outflow ignimbrite, this upper zone is defined mainly by densely welded crystal-rich juvenile clasts of trachydacite composition, with higher Fe–Ti oxide temperatures, and is characterized by extremely high Ba (to 7,500 ppm), Zr, Sr, and positive Eu anomalies. Rare mafic clasts (51–53 wt% SiO₂) with Ba contents to 4,000–5,000 ppm and positive Eu anomalies are also present. Much of the major and trace-element variations in the CRT juvenile clasts can be reproduced via in situ differentiation by interstitial melt extraction from a crystal-rich, upper-crustal mush zone, with the trachydacite, crystal-rich clasts representing the remobilized crystal cumulate left behind by the melt extraction process. Late recharge events, represented by the rare mafic clasts and high-Al amphiboles in some samples, mixed in with parts of the crystal cumulate and generated additional scatter in the whole-rock data. Recharge was important in thermally remobilizing the silicic crystal cumulate by partially melting the near-solidus phases, as supported by: (1) ubiquitous wormy/sieve textures and reverse zoning patterns in feldspars and biotites, (2) absence of quartz in this very silicic unit stored at depths of >4–5 km, and (3) heterogeneous melt compositions in the trachydacite fiamme and mafic clasts, particularly in Ba, indicating local enrichment of this element due mostly to sanidine and biotite melting. The injection of hot, juvenile magma into the upper-crustal cumulate also imparted the observed thermal gradient to the deposits and the mixing overprint that partly masks the in situ differentiation process. The CRT provides a particularly clear perspective on processes of in situ crystal-liquid separation into a lower crystal-rich zone and an upper eruptible cap, which appears common in incrementally built upper-crustal magma reservoirs of high-flux magmatic provinces.  相似文献   

Molecular modeling of Al and benzene interactions with Suwannee fulvic acid     

Chad C. Trout 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2007,71(15):3859-3871

The effects that Al³⁺ and benzene interactions exhibit on a model fulvic acid were investigated. Energy minimizations of the structures mimicking the interactions of Al³⁺-Suwannee fulvic acid (SFA), benzene-SFA and Al³⁺-benzene-SFA were run with a solvation sphere of 60 H₂O molecules with the semi-empirical methods PM3 and PM5. The semi-empirical method PM3 was run with Gaussian 98 and CAChe Workstation Pro 6.1.1 to compare the results of the energy minimization algorithms in the two programs. PM5 calculations were run with CAChe Workstation Pro 6.1.1. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were run in Cerius² (Accelrys Inc., San Diego, CA) using the Universal Force Field (UFF) 1.02 [Rappé A. K., Casewit C., Colwell K., Goddard W., and Skiff W. (1992) UFF, a full periodic-table force-field for molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations. J. Am. Chem. Soc.114(25), 10024-10035] and COMPASS force field [Sun H. (1998) COMPASS: an ab initio force-field optimized for condensed-phase applications—overview with details on alkane and benzene compounds. J. Phys. Chem. B102, 7338-7364]. Single point calculations were run on the minimized structures at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level to obtain more accurate estimates of the energy on the minimized structures derived from the PM3, PM5, and UFF methods and to normalize energies to the same reference state. This methodology was used as the standard of comparison for all the models to assess whether or not a given configuration was reasonably stable.The PM3/G03 energy minimizations predicted the lowest B3LYP/6-31G(d) potential energies of the methodologies examined in this study. Thus, this method is considered the most reliable of those tested. The PM3/G03 method predicted that there would be aromatic-aromatic interactions between benzene and SFA. The presence of Al³⁺ was predicted not to interfere with aromatic-aromatic interactions between benzene and SFA, but benzene may influence the location of metal complexation to SFA.  相似文献