Revisiting the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous of the NW South Iberian Basin: new ages and sedimentary environments

The study of the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous deposits (Higueruelas, Villar del Arzobispo and Aldea de Cortés Formations) of the South Iberian Basin (NW Valencia, Spain) reveals new stratigraphic and sedimentological data, which have significant implications on the stratigraphic framework, depositional environments and age of these units. The Higueruelas Fm was deposited in a mid-inner carbonate platform where oncolitic bars migrated by the action of storms and where oncoid production progressively decreased towards the uppermost part of the unit. The overlying Villar del Arzobispo Fm has been traditionally interpreted as an inner platform-lagoon evolving into a tidal-flat. Here it is interpreted as an inner-carbonate platform affected by storms, where oolitic shoals protected a lagoon, which had siliciclastic inputs from the continent. The Aldea de Cortés Fm has been previously interpreted as a lagoon surrounded by tidal-flats and fluvial-deltaic plains. Here it is reinterpreted as a coastal wetland where siliciclastic muddy deposits interacted with shallow fresh to marine water bodies, aeolian dunes and continental siliciclastic inputs. The contact between the Higueruelas and Villar del Arzobispo Fms, classically defined as gradual, is also interpreted here as rapid. More importantly, the contact between the Villar del Arzobispo and Aldea de Cortés Fms, previously considered as unconformable, is here interpreted as gradual. The presence of Alveosepta in the Villar del Arzobispo Fm suggests that at least part of this unit is Kimmeridgian, unlike the previously assigned Late Tithonian-Middle Berriasian age. Consequently, the underlying Higueruelas Fm, previously considered Tithonian, should not be younger than Kimmeridgian. Accordingly, sedimentation of the Aldea de Cortés Fm, previously considered Valangian-Hauterivian, probably started during the Tithonian and it may be considered part of the regressive trend of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous cycle. This is consistent with the dinosaur faunas, typically Jurassic, described in the Villar del Arzobispo and Aldea de Cortés Fms.

Deep Crustal Structure of the North-West African Margin from Combined Wide-angle and Reflection Seismic Data (MIRROR Seismic Survey)

The structure of the Moroccan and Nova Scotia conjugate rifted margins is of key importance for understanding the Mesozoic break-up and evolution of the northern central Atlantic Ocean basin. Seven combined multichannel reflection (MCS) and wide-angle seismic (OBS) data profiles were acquired along the Atlantic Moroccan margin between the latitudes of 31.5° and 33° N during the MIRROR seismic survey in 2011, in order to image the transition from continental to oceanic crust, to study the variation in crustal structure and to characterize the crust under the West African Coast Magnetic Anomaly (WACMA). The data were modeled using a forward modeling approach. The final models image crustal thinning from 36 km thickness below the continent to approximately 8 km in the oceanic domain. A 100 km wide zone characterized by rough basement topography and high seismic velocities up to 7.4 km/s in the lower crust is observed westward of the West African Coast Magnetic Anomaly. No basin underlain by continental crust has been imaged in this region, as has been identified north of our study area. Comparison to the conjugate Nova Scotian margin shows a similar continental crustal thickness and layer geometry, and the existence of exhumed and serpentinized upper mantle material on the Canadian side only. The oceanic crustal thickness is lower on the Canadian margin.

Sedimentary evidence for a mid-Holocene iceberg-generated tsunami in a coastal lake, west Greenland

We report sedimentological evidence for a tsunami from a coastal lake at Innaarsuit, Disko Bugt (west Greenland), which was most likely generated by a rolling iceberg. The tsunami invaded the lake c. 6000 years ago, during a period of time when relative sea level (RSL) was falling quickly because of isostatic rebound. We use the background rate of RSL fall, together with an age model for the sediment sequence, to infer a minimum wave run-up during the event of c. 3.3 m. The stratigraphic signature of the event bears similarities to that described from studies of the early-Holocene Storegga slide tsunami in Norwegian coastal basins. Conditions conducive to iceberg tsunami include a supply of icebergs, deep water close to the shore, a depositional setting protected from storms or landslide tsunami, and a coastal configuration that has the potential to amplify the height of tsunami waves as water depths shallow and the waves approach and impact the coast. Future warming of polar regions will lead to increased calving and iceberg production, at a time when human use of polar coasts will also grow. We predict, therefore, that iceberg-generated tsunami will become a growing hazard in polar coastal waters, especially in areas adjacent to large, fast-flowing, marine-terminating ice streams that are close to human populations or infrastructure.

Climate change and irrigation water requirement at Jaguaribe river basin, semi-arid northeast of Brazil.

Summary: Climate change has a potential to impact rainfall, temperature and air humidity, which have relation to plant evapotranspiration and crop water requirement. The purpose of this research is to assess climate change impacts on irrigation water demand, based on future scenarios derived from the PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies), using boundary conditions of the HadCM3 submitted to a dynamic downscaling nested to the Hadley Centre regional circulation model HadRM3P. Monthly time series for average temperature and rainfall were generated for 1961-90 (baseline) and the future (2040). The reference evapotranspiration was estimated using monthly average temperature. Projected climate change impact on irrigation water demand demonstrated to be a result of evapotranspiration and rainfall trend. Impacts were mapped over the target region by using geostatistical methods. An increase of the average crop water needs was estimated to be 18.7% and 22.2% higher for 2040 A2 and B2 scenarios, respectively. Objective ? To analyze the climate change impacts on irrigation water requirements, using downscaling techniques of a climate change model, at the river basin scale. Method: The study area was delimited between 4º39?30? and 5º40?00? South and 37º35?30? and 38º27?00? West. The crop pattern in the target area was characterized, regarding type of irrigated crops, respective areas and cropping schedules, as well as the area and type of irrigation systems adopted. The PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies) system (Jones et al., 2004) was used for generating climate predictions for the target area, using the boundary conditions of the Hadley Centre model HadCM3 (Johns et al., 2003). The considered time scale of interest for climate change impacts evaluation was the year of 2040, representing the period of 2025 to 2055. The output data from the climate model was interpolated, considering latitude/longitude, by applying ordinary kriging tools available at a Geographic Information System, in order to produce thematic maps.

Governing the water conservation in the Urmia Lake Basin: addressing macro systems’ fit and micro users’ behavior

To change unadapted water governing systems, and water users’ traditional conducts in line with climate change, understanding of systems’ structures and users’ behaviors is necessary. To this aim, comprehensive and pragmatic research was designed and implemented in the Urmia Lake Basin where due to the severe droughts, and human-made influences, especially through the agricultural development, the lake has been shrunken drastically. To analyze the water governance and conservation issues in the basin, an innovative framework was developed based on mathematical physics concepts and pro-environmental behavior theories. Accordingly, in system level (macro/meso), the problem of fit of the early-shaped water governing system associating with the function of “political-security” and “political-economic” factors in the basin was identified through mean-field models. Furthermore, the effect of a “political-environmental” factor, the Urmia Lake Restoration Program (ULRP), on reforming the system structure and hence its fit was assessed. The analysis results revealed that by revising the provincial boundaries (horizontal alternation) for the entity of Kurdistan province to permit that interact with the headquarter of West Azerbaijan province for its water demand-supply initiatives, the system fit can increase. Also, the constitution of the ULRP (vertical arrangement) not only could increase the structural fit of the water governing system to the basin, but also significantly could enhance the system fit through its water-saving policy. Besides, in individual level (micro), the governing factors of water conservation behavior of the major users/farmers were identified through rational and moral socio-psychological models. In rational approach, incorporating PMT and TPB, the SEM results demonstrated that “Perceived Vulnerability”, “Self-Efficacy”, “Response Efficacy”, “Response Cost”, “Subjective Norms” and “Institutional Trust” significantly affect the water-saving intention/behavior. Likewise, NAM based analysis as a moral approach, uncovered the significant effects of “Awareness of Consequences”, “Appraisal of Responsibility”, “Personal Norms” as well as “Place Attachment” and “Emotions” on water-saving intention.

Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Microbial Community In Hypersaline Petroleum Produced Water From The Campos Basin.

In this work the archaea and eubacteria community of a hypersaline produced water from the Campos Basin that had been transported and discharged to an onshore storage facility was evaluated by 16S recombinant RNA (rRNA) gene sequence analysis. The produced water had a hypersaline salt content of 10 (w/v), had a carbon oxygen demand (COD) of 4,300 mg/l and contains phenol and other aromatic compounds. The high salt and COD content and the presence of toxic phenolic compounds present a problem for conventional discharge to open seawater. In previous studies, we demonstrated that the COD and phenolic content could be largely removed under aerobic conditions, without dilution, by either addition of phenol degrading Haloarchaea or the addition of nutrients alone. In this study our goal was to characterize the microbial community to gain further insight into the persistence of reservoir community members in the produced water and the potential for bioremediation of COD and toxic contaminants. Members of the archaea community were consistent with previously identified communities from mesothermic reservoirs. All identified archaea were located within the phylum Euryarchaeota, with 98 % being identified as methanogens while 2 % could not be affiliated with any known genus. Of the identified archaea, 37 % were identified as members of the strictly carbon-dioxide-reducing genus Methanoplanus and 59 % as members of the acetoclastic genus Methanosaeta. No Haloarchaea were detected, consistent with the need to add these organisms for COD and aromatic removal. Marinobacter and Halomonas dominated the eubacterial community. The presence of these genera is consistent with the ability to stimulate COD and aromatic removal with nutrient addition. In addition, anaerobic members of the phyla Thermotogae, Firmicutes, and unclassified eubacteria were identified and may represent reservoir organisms associated with the conversion hydrocarbons to methane.

An unusual, dwarf new species of Neotropical freshwater stingray, Plesiotrygon nana sp. nov., from the upper and mid Amazon basin: the second species of Plesiotrygon (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae)

A new species of the relatively poorly known Neotropical freshwater stingray genus Plesiotrygon Rosa, Castello & Thorson, 1987 is described from the main channel and smaller tributaries (Ríos Itaya and Pachitea) of the upper Amazon basin in Peru. The first specimen to be collected, however, was from much farther east in Rio Solimões in 1996, just down-river from Rio Purus (specimen unavailable for this study). Plesiotrygon nana sp. nov., is a very distinctive and unusually small species of freshwater stingray (Potamotrygonidae), described here mostly from three specimens representing different size classes and stages of sexual maturity. Plesiotrygon nana sp. nov., is distinguished from its only congener, P. iwamae Rosa, Castello & Thorson, 1987, by numerous unique features, including: dorsal coloration composed of very fine rosettes or a combination of spots and irregular ocelli; very circular disc and snout; very small and less rhomboidal spiracles; short snout and anterior disc region; narrow mouth and nostrils; denticles on dorsal tail small, scattered, not forming row of enlarged spines; adult and preadult specimens with significantly fewer tooth rows; fewer caudal vertebrae; higher total pectoral radials; very small size, probably not surpassing 250 mm disc length or width, males maturing sexually at around 180 mm disc length and 175 mm disc width; distal coloration of tail posterior to caudal stings usually dark purplish-brown; and features of the ventral lateral-line canals (hyomandibular canal very narrow, infraorbital and supraorbital canals not undulated, supraorbital and infraorbital loops small and narrow, supraorbital loop very short, not extending posteriorly to level of mouth, jugular and posterior infraorbital canals short, not extending caudally to first gill slits, subpleural loop very narrow posteriorly; absence of anterior and posterior subpleural tubules). To provide a foundation for the description of P. nana sp. nov., morphological variation in P. iwamae was examined based on all type specimens as well as newly collected and previously unreported material. Two specimens topotypic with the male paratype of P. nana sp. nov., referred to here as Plesiotrygon cf. iwamae, are also reported. Relationships of the new species to P. iwamae are discussed; further characters indicative of Plesiotrygon monophyly are proposed, but the genus may still not be valid. Plesiotrygon nana sp. nov., is commercialized with some regularity in the international aquarium trade from Iquitos (Peru), an alarming circumstance because nothing is known of its biology or conservation requirements.

A new species of Pimelodus La Cépède, 1803 (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) from rio Ribeira de Iguape basin, Brazil

Pimelodus multicratifer, a new species, is described from the rio Ribeira de Iguape basin. The new species differs from the other Pimelodus species by the following features: 26 to 30 gill rakers on the first branchial arch; a combination of three to six rows of dark spots regularly or irregularly scattered on the flanks and several small dark spots irregularly scattered on the dorsal surface of head, supraoccipital process, and sometimes on the dorsal and caudal fins; striated lips; maxillary barbels reaching between posterior tip of the pelvic-fin rays and posterior tip of the middle caudal-fin rays.

Ituglanis mambai, a new subterranean catfish from a karst area of Central Brazil, rio Tocantins basin (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)

Ituglanis mambai, new species, is described from a cave in the Mambaí karst area, State of Goiás, Central Brazil. The new species distinguishes from epigean and cave congeners by the combination of the following characteristics: posterior supraoccipital fontanel absent; pectoral-fin rays usually i,7; six pleural ribs; total vertebrae 37-38 behind Weberian apparatus; shorter predorsal length (65.1-70.8% SL); shorter caudal peduncle length (8.4-11.9% SL); shorter dorsal-fin base length (7.7-11.3% SL); wider interobital width (29.2-36.5% HL); larger mouth width (43.4-64.0% HL); intermediate between epigean and other cave Ituglanis species as regards to both eyes (diameter varying from 0.5 to1.0 mm in adults, 7.8-10.1 % HL) and pigmentation, composed by irregular light brown spots along the body. The latter indicate the troglobitic status for I. mambai. In addition, this species has the maxillae with a discrete medial-posterior projection; fronto-lacrimal one half-length of the maxillae and pointed backwards; posterior process of palatine half its length, with a tenuous medial concavity; 14 dorsal and 12 ventral procurrent rays. In the natural habitat, I. mambai displayed cryptobiotic habits, trying to hide in the graveled bottom or under boulders when disturbed, apparently showing a negative response to light. It was observed a preference to slow-moving waters. Recent flood marks were observed in the stream conduit in March/April 2007 (end of the rainy season) when less individuals were observed on 300 m of the subterranean stream compared to September 2004 (end of the dry season).

Natural history and population data of fishes in caves of the Serra do Ramalho karst area, Middle São Francisco basin, northeastern Brazil

During the exploration and mapping of new caves in Serra do Ramalho karst area, southern Bahia state, cavers from the Grupo Bambuí de Pesquisas Espeleológicas - GBPE (Belo Horizonte) noticed the presence of troglomorphic catfishes (species with reduced eyes and/or melanic pigmentation), which we intensively investigated with regards to their ecology and behavior since 2005. Non-troglomorphic fishes regularly found in the studied caves were included in this investigation. We present here data on the natural history of two troglobitic (exclusively subterranean troglomorphic species) fishes - Rhamdia enfurnada Bichuette & Trajano, 2005 (Heptapteridae; Gruna do Enfurnado) and Trichomycterus undescribed species (Trichomycteridae; Lapa dos Peixes and Gruna da Água Clara), and non-troglomorphic Hoplias cf. malabaricus, probably a troglophile (able to form populations both in epigean and subterranean habitats) in the Gruna do Enfurnado, and Pimelodella sp., a species with a sink population in the Lapa dos Peixes.

Two new species of the Hypostomus cochliodon group (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Negro basin in Brazil

Two new species of Hypostomus are described from the middle and upper rio Negro in Brazil. They are assigned to the Hypostomus cochliodon group (sensu Armbruster, 2003) by possessing few spoon-shaped teeth, and dentary angle averaging less than 80º. Hypostomus kopeyaka is described from the rio Tiquié, a tributary of the rio Uaupés, upper rio Negro basin, presents a unique color pattern among the Hypostomus species belonging to the Hypostomus cochliodon group, consisting of conspicuously horizontally elongated, closely-set black spots over the entire dorsal and lateral surfaces of the body. Hypostomus weberi is described from the middle rio Negro and can be distinguished from all remaining Hypostomus species belonging to the Hypostomus cochliodon group by possessing a unique color pattern consisting in large, rounded, widelyspaced black spots over body and fins.

Population genetic structuring in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) across the Paraná-Paraguay basin: evidence from microsatellites

The Paraná-Paraguay basin encompasses central western Brazil, northeastern Paraguay, eastern Bolivia and northern Argentina. The Pantanal is a flooded plain with marked dry and rainy seasons that, due to its soil characteristics and low declivity, has a great water holding capacity supporting abundant fish fauna. Piaractus mesopotamicus, or pacu, endemic of the Paraná-Paraguay basin, is a migratory species economically important in fisheries and ecologically as a potential seed disperser. In this paper we employ eight microsatellite loci to assess the population structure of 120 pacu sampled inside and outside the Pantanal of Mato Grosso. Our main objective was to test the null hypothesis of panmixia and to verify if there was a different structuring pattern between the Pantanal were there were no physical barriers to fish movement and the heavily impounded Paraná and Paranapanema rivers. All loci had moderate to high levels of polymorphism, the number of alleles varied from three to 18. The average observed heterozygosity varied from 0.068 to 0.911. After the Bonferroni correction three loci remained significant for deviations from Hardy-Weinberg, and for those the frequency of null alleles was estimated. F ST and R ST pairwise comparisons detected low divergence among sampling sites, and differentiation was significant only between Paranapanema and Cuiabá and Paranapanema and Taquari. No correlation between genetic distance and the natural logarithm of the geographic distance was detected. Results indicate that for conservation purposes and for restoration programs small genetic differences detected in the Cuiabá and Paranapanema rivers should be taken in consideration.

A new species of Hemiancistrus from the rio Araguaia basin, Goiás state, Brazil (Siluriformes: Loricariidae)

Hemiancistrus cerrado is described from the tributaries of rio Araguaia, rio Tocantins basin. Hemiancistrus cerrado has external similarities with H. megalopteryx and H. punctulatus from coastal streams of southern Brazil, and can be distinguished by having a larger internarial width, 15.9-21.1% of head length (vs. 11.2-14.0% in H. megalopteryx and 11.2-13.9% in H. punctulatus) and, with little overlap, by the larger adipose-fin spine length, 9.4-13.6% of standard length (vs. 7.1-8.7% in H. megalopteryx and 7.4-10.0% in H. punctulatus). Hemiancistrus cerrado further differs from H. megalopteryx by having the pectoral-fin spine reaching maximally to the middle of the pelvic-fin spine when adpressed in adult males (vs. reaching tip). Hemiancistrus cerrado differs from other members of Hemiancistrus by color and numerous morphometric and meristic data.

Quantification and source identification of atmospheric particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their dry deposition fluxes at three sites in Salvador Basin, Brazil, impacted by mobile and stationary sources

The present work has aimed to determine the 16 US EPA priority PAH atmospheric particulate matter levels present in three sites around Salvador, Bahia: (i) Lapa bus station, strongly impacted by heavy-duty diesel vehicles; (ii) Aratu harbor, impacted by an intense movement of goods, and (iii) Bananeira village on Maré Island, a non vehicle-influenced site with activities such as handcraft work and fisheries. Results indicated that BbF (0.130-6.85 ng m-3) is the PAH with highest concentration in samples from Aratu harbor and Bananeira and CRY (0.075-6.85 ng m-3) presented higher concentrations at Lapa station. PAH sources from studied sites were mainly of anthropogenic origin such as gasoline-fueled light-duty vehicles and diesel-fueled heavy-duty vehicles, discharges in the port, diesel burning from ships, dust ressuspension, indoor soot from cooking, and coal and wood combustion for energy production.

New species of the genus Leporinus Agassiz (Characiformes: Anostomidae) from the rio Curuá, rio Xingu basin, Serra do Cachimbo, Brazil, with comments on Leporinus reticulatus

A new species of Leporinus Agassiz is described from the rio Curuá, a tributary of the rio Iriri, rio Xingu basin, Serra do Cachimbo, Pará State, Brazil. The new species is diagnosed by the color pattern, which consists of eight to ten midlateral round dark blotches plus 20 to 40 smaller ones scattered over the body, dental formula 3/4, subinferior to inferior mouth, 37 to 38 lateral line scales, 4/3-4 transversal series of scales, and 12 circumpeduncular scale series. The new species most closely resembles L. octomaculatus and L. reticulatus from the upper Tapajós basin, and L. marcgravii and L. microphthalmus from the rio São Francisco and the rio Paranaíba, respectively. Based on recently collected specimens, L. reticulatus is re-diagnosed as having an allometric elongation of the snout.