Student Independent Projects Environmental Studies 2011: The Humber River Basin Human Values Project: Designing a Sampling Strategy for a Pilot Survey in the Corner Brook Area

Sustainability can be indicated by a number of factors. Populations need to be aged evenly, ensuring a healthy equilibrium. Job opportunities must be numerous and of wide varieties to balance incomes from different employment sectors. Regions must also sustain vital natural resources in the area which are directly related to a place being self-sustaining. These indicators prove to be true, especially in Newfoundland, where people have struggled to remain in the small traditional communities that they consider being there 'home.' The population of Corner Brook and the surrounding areas can be stratified according to the values people hold to their special place. Even though people in western Newfoundland hold strong ties to their home, some parts of the region even though people in western Newfoundland hold strong ties to their home, some parts of the region struggle with employment, low incomes, out-migration, and dependency on declining natural resources. The aim of this paper is to present the process of designing a sample strategy for a human values pilot survey conducted in the city of Corner Brook. It will present a theoretical background over the period 2002-2006 to be used for sampling strategy.

(Appendix B) Benthic foraminifera in Indian Ocean surface sediments

Multivariate analysis was performed on percentages of 46 species of unstained deep-sea benthic foraminifera from 131 core-top to near-core-top samples (322-5013 m) from across the Indian Ocean. Faunal data are combined with GEOSECS geochemical data to investigate any relationship between benthic foraminifera (assemblages and species) and deep-sea properties. In general, benthic foraminifera show a good correlation to surface productivity, organic carbon flux to the sea floor, deep-sea oxygenation and, to a lesser extent, to bottom temperature, without correlation with the water depths. The foraminiferal census data combined with geochemical data has enabled the division of the Indian Ocean into two faunal provinces. Province A occupies the northwestern Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea region) where surface primary production has a major maximum during the summer monsoon season and a secondary maximum during winter monsoon season that leads to high organic flux to the seafloor, making the deep-sea one of the most oxygen-deficient regions in the world ocean, with a pronounced oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). This province is dominated by benthic foraminifera characteristic of low oxygen and high organic food flux including Uvigerina peregrina, Robulus nicobarensis, Bolivinita pseudopunctata, Bolivinita sp., Bulimina aculeata, Bulimina alazanensis, Ehrenbergina carinata and Cassidulina carinata. Province B covers southern, southeastern and eastern parts of the Indian Ocean and is dominated by Nuttallides umbonifera, Epistominella exigua, Globocassidulina subglobosa, Uvigerina proboscidea, Cibicides wuellerstorfi, Cassidulina laevigata, Pullenia bulloides, Pullenia osloensis, Pyrgo murrhina, Oridorsalis umbonatus, Gyroidinoides (= Gyroidina) soldanii and Gyroidinoides cf. gemma suggesting well-oxygenated, cold deep water with low (oligotrophic) and pulsed food supply.

Benthic foraminifera in eastern equatorial Indian Ocean surface sediments

Study of Recent abyssal benthic foraminifera from core-top samples in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean has identified distinctive faunas whose distribution patterns reflect the major hydrographic features of the region. Above 3800 m, Indian Deep Water (IDW) is characterized by a diverse and evenly-distributed biofacies to which Globocassidulina subglobosa, Pyrgo spp., Uvigerina peregrina, and Eggerella bradyi are the major contributors. Nuttalides umbonifera and Epistominella exigua are associated with Indian Bottom Water (IBW) below 3800 m. Within the IBW fauna, N. umbonifera and E. exigua are characteristic of two biofacies with independent distribution patterns. Nuttalides umbonifera systematically increases in abundance with increasing water depth. The E. exigua biofacies reaches its greatest abundance in sediments on the eastern flank of the Ninetyeast Ridge and in the Wharton-Cocos Basin. The hydrographic transition between IDW and IBW coincides with the level of transition from waters supersaturated to waters undersaturated with respect to calcite and with the depth of the lysocline. Carbonate saturation levels, possibly combined with the effects of selective dissolution on the benthic foraminiferal populations, best explain the change in faunas across the IDW/IBW boundary and the bathymetric distribution pattern of N. umbonifera. The distribution of the E. exigua fauna cannot be explained with this model. Epistominella exigua is associated with the colder, more oxygenated IBW of the Wharton-Cocos Basin. The distribution of this biofacies on the eastern flank of the Ninetyeast Ridge agrees well with the calculated bathymetric position of the northward flowing deep boundary current which aerates the eastern basins of the Indian Ocean.

Mineralogy of northern Indian Ocean surface sediments and of suspended sediments of Indian rivers (Table 2 and 5)

The solid phases from surface sediments, atmospheric dusts, and rivers of the Indian Ocean environment have been analyzed for their clay minerals and quartz. Such data have been used to delimit the transport paths and sources of the detrital minerals in the oceanic deposits. Diagnostic in distinguishing fluvial and eolian inputs to the northern Indian Ocean is a combination of the clay mineral assemblages and of their geographic distributions. River borne solids are the primary components of the Bay of Bengal deposits. The eastern part receives its continental input through the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system, while drainage of the Indian Peninsula by rivers introduces solids to the western part. The former materials are characterized by high illite and chlorite in the clay mineral assemblages; the latter by montmorillonite. The winds over the Bay bear distinctive dust burdens based upon their directions. However, their contributions to the sediments are insignificant. The eastern sector of the Arabian Sea receives major contributions of continental debris from the rivers and the high montmorillonite levels clearly indicate a source in the Indian Peninsula. The rest of the Sea appears to receive most of its land-derived materials from the north, perhaps the desert regions of northern India and West Pakistan, and they are wind-borne. These materials are also transported to the equatorial regions of the Indian Ocean. A gradient in attapulgite, just north of the equator, may indicate an eolian contribution to the Arabian Sea from the African continent. The halogenated hydrocarbon pesticides were assayed in the southwest monsoon winds and enter the Bay of Bengal at levels of a half ton per month, an amount comparable to those introduced by other wind and river systems to the marine environment.

(Table 1) Composition of organic matter from sediments of the triple junction area in the Indian Ocean

Bituminous substances in metalliferous sediments from the region of the triple junction in the Indian Ocean were studied. Specific peculiarities of their structure confirming location in "hot conditions" were revealed. Hydrocarbons are genetically connected with hydrothermal matter, and thus they could be considered as a geochemical indicator of hydrothermal processes in the ocean.

Irrigation regime affected SOC content rather than plow layer thickness of rice paddies : A county level survey from a river basin in lower Yangtze valley, China

Acknowledgements This work was funded by Natural Science Foundation of China under grant numbers of 41071337 and 40830528 and jointly by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China.

Hepatic Responses of Juvenile Fundulus heteroclitus from Pollution-adapted and Nonadapted Populations Exposed to Elizabeth River Sediment Extract.

Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) inhabiting the Atlantic Wood Industries region of the Elizabeth River, Virginia, have passed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) resistance to their offspring as evidenced by early life stage testing of developmental toxicity after exposure to specific PAHs. Our study focused on environmentally relevant PAH mixtures in the form of Elizabeth River sediment extract (ERSE). Juvenile (5 month) F1 progeny of pollution-adapted Atlantic Wood (AW) parents and of reference site (King's Creek [KC]) parents were exposed as embryos to ERSE. Liver alterations, including nonneoplastic lesions and microvesicular vacuolation, were observed in both populations. ERSE-exposed KC fish developed significantly more alterations than unexposed KC fish. Interestingly, unexposed AW killifish developed significantly more alterations than unexposed KC individuals, suggesting that AW juveniles are not fully protected from liver disease; rapid growth of juvenile fish may also be an accelerating factor for tumorigenesis. Because recent reports show hepatic tumor formation in adult AW fish, the differing responses from the 2 populations provided a way to determine whether embryo toxicity protection extends to juveniles. Future investigations will analyze older life stages of killifish to determine differences in responses related to chronic disease.

Basalt analyses from different DSDP Holes in the Mozambique Basin and Ridge and from the Southwest Indian Ridge

Basalts from DSDP Sites 248, 249, 250 and 251 in the southwestern Indian Ocean formed in a complex tectonic region affected by the separation of Africa and South America. The different ages and variable geochemical features of these DSDP basalts probably reflect this tectonic complexity. For example, Site 251 on the flanks of the Southwest Indian Ridge is represented by normal MORB which probably originated at the Southwest Indian Ridge. Site 250 in the Mozambique Basin includes an older incompatible- element enriched unit which may represent basalt associated with the Prince Edward Fracture Zone; the upper unit is normal MORB. Basalts at Site 248 also in the Mozambique Basin are geochemically very unlike MORB and have strong continental affinities; they are also comparable in age to some of the continental Karroo basalts. They appear to be related to a subcontinental mantle source or to contamination by continental basement associated with the tectonic elevation of the Mozambique Ridge. Basalts from Site 249 on the Mozambique Ridge are relatively weathered but appear to be normal MORB. Their age, location, and composition are consistent with their origin at an early Cretaceous rift which has been postulated to have separated the Falkland Plateau from the Mozambique Ridge.

Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios, and geochemistry of the Precambrian-Cambrian Sukharikha River section, northwestern Siberian platform

A high-resolution carbon isotope profile through the uppermost Neoproterozoic-Lower Cambrian part of the Sukharikha section at the northwestern margin of the Siberian platform shows prominent secular oscillations of d13C with peak-to-peak range of 6-10 ?. There are six minima, 1n-6n, and seven maxima 1p-7p, in the Sukharikha Formation and a rising trend of d13C from the minimum 1n of -8.6 ? to maximum 6p of +6.4 ?. The trough 1n probably coincides with the isotopic minimum at the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary worldwide. Highly positive d13C values of peaks 5p and 6p are typical of the upper portion of the Precambrian-Cambrian transitional beds just beneath the Tommotian Stage in Siberia. A second rising trend of d13C is observed through the Krasnoporog and lower Shumny formations. It consists of four excursions with four major maxima that can be cor related with Tommotian-Botomian peaks II, IV, V, and VII of the reference profile from the southeastern Siberian platform. According to the chemostratigraphic cor relation, the first appearances of the index forms of archaeocyaths are earlier in the Sukharikha section than in the Lena-Aldan region.

Soil organic carbon storage and soil properties for 50 soil profiles in the Lena River Delta including land form description and map

To project the future development of the soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in permafrost environments, the spatial and vertical distribution of key soil properties and their landscape controls needs to be understood. This article reports findings from the Arctic Lena River Delta where we sampled 50 soil pedons. These were classified according to the U.S.D.A. Soil Taxonomy and fall mostly into the Gelisol soil order used for permafrost-affected soils. Soil profiles have been sampled for the active layer (mean depth 58±10 cm) and the upper permafrost to one meter depth. We analyze SOC stocks and key soil properties, i.e. C%, N%, C/N, bulk density, visible ice and water content. These are compared for different landscape groupings of pedons according to geomorphology, soil and land cover and for different vertical depth increments. High vertical resolution plots are used to understand soil development. These show that SOC storage can be highly variable with depth. We recommend the treatment of permafrost-affected soils according to subdivisions into: the surface organic layer, mineral subsoil in the active layer, organic enriched cryoturbated or buried horizons and the mineral subsoil in the permafrost. The major geomorphological units of a subregion of the Lena River Delta were mapped with a land form classification using a data-fusion approach of optical satellite imagery and digital elevation data to upscale SOC storage. Landscape mean SOC storage is estimated to 19.2±2.0 kg C/m**2. Our results show that the geomorphological setting explains more soil variability than soil taxonomy classes or vegetation cover. The soils from the oldest, Pleistocene aged, unit of the delta store the highest amount of SOC per m**2 followed by the Holocene river terrace. The Pleistocene terrace affected by thermal-degradation, the recent floodplain and bare alluvial sediments store considerably less SOC in descending order.

(Table) Content of organic compounds in the bottom sediments of the Volga River estuary

Materials from different spheres of the Earth are ultimately delivered to bottom sediments, which serve as a natural recorder of the functioning of other spheres and originate as a result of the accumulation of their substances. Sedimentary material and species of river-transported elements are subjected to dramatic reworking in marginal filters, where river and sea waters are mixed. These processes are most important for the Caspian Sea, where runoffs of rivers (especially the Volga River) and the intense development and transportation of hydrocarbon fuel by tankers and pipelines (related to the coastal petroleum industry in the Sumgait and Baku ports, Apsheron Peninsula) are potential sources of hydrocarbon pollution. Previously obtained data showed that the total content of hydrocarbon fraction (i.e., the sum of aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)) in bottom sediments varied within 29-1820 µg/g. The content of petroleum hydrocarbons in the northeastern Caspian region varied from 0.052 to 34.09 µg/g with the maximum content in the Tengiz field. The content of six polyarenes in the Volga delta sediments was no more than 40 ng/g. To determine the recent HC pollution of bottom sediments and trends in the functioning of the Volga marginal filter, in summer of 2003 and 2004 we analyzed bottom sediments (58 samples) in the river waterway; Kirovsk channel; Bakhtemir and Ikryanoe branches; tributaries of the Kizan, Chagan, and other rivers; and the Caspian seashore.

Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of Selinde River, southeastern Siberian platform

Carbon isotopic data from the Selinde section in the southeastern part of the Siberian platform area are correlated with the reference isotopic profile from the Lower Cambrian stratotype sections of the Lena Aldan region, but also show additional d13C excursions unrecognized there. The chemostratigraphic correlation suggests that the geological and fossil record of the lower Pestrotsvet Formation in the Selinde section has a deeper history than the stratotype region. This conclusion is important for both constraining the age of the earliest Cambrian marine transgression on the Siberian platform and providing a clearer understanding of the pace and order of early Cambrian geochemical and biological events.

R-ArcticNet, A Regional Hydrographic Data Network for the Pan-Arctic Region (ISO-image of CD-ROM)

We describe the contemporary hydrography of the pan-Arctic land area draining into the Arctic Ocean, northern Bering Sea, and Hudson Bay on the basis of observational records of river discharge and computed runoff. The Regional Arctic Hydrographic Network data set, R-ArcticNET, is presented, which is based on 3754 recording stations drawn from Russian, Canadian, European, and U.S. archives. R-ArcticNET represents the single largest data compendium of observed discharge in the Arctic. Approximately 73% of the nonglaciated area of the pan-Arctic is monitored by at least one river discharge gage giving a mean gage density of 168 gages per 106 km2. Average annual runoff is 212 mm yr?1 with approximately 60% of the river discharge occurring from April to July. Gridded runoff surfaces are generated for the gaged portion of the pan-Arctic region to investigate global change signals. Siberia and Alaska showed increases in winter runoff during the 1980s relative to the 1960s and 1970s during annual and seasonal periods. These changes are consistent with observations of change in the climatology of the region. Western Canada experienced decreased spring and summer runoff.

Clay-mineral composition and biogenic opal content of Late Neogene to Quaternary sediments of the Antarctic Peninsula region

Clay-mineral composition and biogenic opal content in upper Miocene to Quaternary drift sediments recovered at two Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) sites from the continental rise in the Bellingshausen Sea had been analyzed in order to reconstruct the climatic and glacial history of the Antarctic Peninsula. The clay mineral composition at both sites is dominated by smectite, illite, and chlorite, and alternates between a smectite-enriched and a chlorite-enriched assemblage throughout the last 9.3 my. The spatial distribution of clay minerals in Holocene sediments west of the Antarctic Peninsula facilitates the identification of particular source areas, and thus the reconstruction of transport pathways. The similarity to clay mineral variations reported from upper Quaternary sequences suggests that the short-term clay-mineralogical fluctuations in the ODP cores reflect glacial-interglacial cyclicity. Thus, repeated ice advances and retreats in response to a varying size of the Antarctic Peninsula ice cap are likely to have occurred throughout the late Neogene and Quaternary. The clay minerals in the drift sediments exhibit only slight long-term variations, which are caused by local changes in glacial erosion and in supply of source rocks, rather than by major climatic changes. The opal records at the ODP sites are dominated by long-term variations since the late Miocene. We infer that the opal content in the drift sediments, although it is influenced by dissolution in the water column and the sediment column and by the burial with lithogenic detritus, provides a signal of paleoproductivity. Because the annual sea-ice coverage is regarded as the main factor controlling biological productivity, the opal signal helps to reconstruct paleoceanographic changes in the Bellingshausen Sea. Slightly enhanced opal deposition during the late Miocene indicates slightly warmer climatic conditions in the Antarctic Peninsula area than at present. During the early Pliocene, enhanced opal deposition in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean and coinciding high opal concentrations in sedimentary sequences from the Atlantic and Indian sectors document a strong reduction of sea-ice cover and relatively warm climatic conditions. Thereby, the early onset of the Pliocene warmth in the Bellingshausen Sea points to a positive feedback of regional Antarctic climate on the global thermohaline circulation. A decrease of opal deposition between 3.1 and 2.6 Ma likely reflects sea-ice expansion in response to reduced supply of northern-sourced deep-waters to the Southern Ocean, caused by the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Throughout the Quaternary, a relatively constant level of opal deposition on the Antarctic continental margin indicates relatively stable climatic conditions.