UV－B辐射增强对植物光合作用的影响及植物的相关适应性研究

综述了UV－B辐射增强对植物光合作用的影响、植物对光破坏的响应与适应性方面的国内外研究进展，许多研究表明UV－B辐射增强对植物具有破坏作用且能引起植物光抑制、光氧化和光损伤，植物依靠自身修复系统而对其破坏又具有一定的适应性。

复合不育剂对高原鼠兔种群控制作用的研究

通过室内试验选定致高原鼠兔雌性和雄性不育或抗生育作用且对环境低污染或无污染的不育剂各一种。雌性不育剂的半致死剂量LD50为8.68mg／kg，半不膏剂量ED50为2．11mg／kg。雄性不育剂的半致死剂量LD50为121.42mg／kg，半不育剂量ED50为43.70mg／kg。前者的主要作用特点是导致子宫内膜出血，体重下降，从而引起胚胎流产或吸收，而后者的作用部分是睾丸，对曲细植小管内精子、精子细胞、精母细胞以及管壁都有不同程度的损坏。高原鼠兔对两种不育剂配置的复合不育剂毒饵的摄食系数为0.33。采用复合不育剂毒饵在野外建立不育种群，结果表明，实验区不育种群密度由原来的56只/hm2降至8只/hm2，而对照区种群密度则由原来的54只/hm2增至138 hm2。实验区不育种群因胚胎流产和吸收，产仔率明显低于对照区。

强流脉冲离子束辐照45钢表面热效应的模拟

以Fourier瞬态传热方程为基础,确定了强流脉冲离子束(HIPIB)热效应的基本传热方程,对靶材45钢进行不同能量参数的HIPIB辐照热效应的模拟计算.针对离子注入金属内部的情况,在模拟束流加载方式上分别采用体加载和面加载,比较了两种加载计算结果之间的差距.本算法的另一个改进就是在高能量辐照下,用单元死活法对蚀坑部分材料的消失进行模拟.结果表明,用单元死活法模拟单元的失效,更能符合HIPIB辐照金属表面热效应的蚀坑机制;单元死活法对靶材的升温过程没有明显影响,但对冷却阶段,可以显著提高模拟的精度.

基于广义正交多项式迭积微分算子的地震波场数值模拟研究

Seismic Numerical Modeling is one of bases of the Exploratory Seismology and Academic Seismology, also is a research field in great demand. Essence of seismic numerical modeling is to assume that structure and parameters of the underground media model are known, simulate the wave-field and calculate the numerical seismic record that should be observed. Seismic numerical modeling is not only a means to know the seismic wave-field in complex inhomogeneous media, but also a test to the application effect by all kinds of methods. There are many seismic numerical modeling methods, each method has its own merits and drawbacks. During the forward modeling, the computation precision and the efficiency are two pivotal questions to evaluate the validity and superiority of the method. The target of my dissertation is to find a new method to possibly improve the computation precision and efficiency, and apply the new forward method to modeling the wave-field in the complex inhomogeneous media. Convolutional Forsyte polynomial differentiator (CFPD) approach developed in this dissertation is robust and efficient, it shares some of the advantages of the high precision of generalized orthogonal polynomial and the high speed of the short operator finite-difference. By adjusting the operator length and optimizing the operator coefficient, the method can involve whole and local information of the wave-field. One of main tasks of the dissertation is to develop a creative, generalized and high precision method. The author introduce convolutional Forsyte polynomial differentiator to calculate the spatial derivative of seismic wave equation, and apply the time staggered grid finite-difference which can better meet the high precision of the convolutional differentiator to substitute the conventional finite-difference to calculate the time derivative of seismic wave equation, then creating a new forward method to modeling the wave-field in complex inhomogeneous media. Comparing with Fourier pseudo-spectral method, Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method, staggered- grid finite difference method and finite element method, convolutional Forsyte polynomial differentiator (CFPD) method has many advantages: 1. Comparing with Fourier pseudo-spectral method. Fourier pseudo-spectral method (FPS) is a local operator, its results have Gibbs effects when the media parameters change, then arose great errors. Therefore, Fourier pseudo-spectral method can not deal with special complex and random heterogeneous media. But convolutional Forsyte polynomial differentiator method can cover global and local information. So for complex inhomogeneous media, CFPD is more efficient. 2. Comparing with staggered-grid high-order finite-difference method, CFPD takes less dots than FD at single wave length, and the number does not increase with the widening of the studying area. 3. Comparing with Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method (CPS). The calculation region of Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method is fixed in , under the condition of unchangeable precision, the augmentation of calculation is unacceptable. Thus Chebyshev pseudo-spectral method is inapplicable to large area. CFPD method is more applicable to large area. 4. Comparing with finite element method (FE), CFPD can use lager grids. The other task of this dissertation is to study 2.5 dimension (2.5D) seismic wave-field. The author reviews the development and present situation of 2.5D problem, expatiates the essentiality of studying the 2.5D problem, apply CFPD method to simulate the seismic wave-field in 2.5D inhomogeneous media. The results indicate that 2.5D numerical modeling is efficient to simulate one of the sections of 3D media, 2.5D calculation is much less time-consuming than 3D calculation, and the wave dispersion of 2.5D modeling is obviously less than that of 3D modeling. Question on applying time staggered-grid convolutional differentiator based on CFPD to modeling 2.5D complex inhomogeneous media was not studied by any geophysicists before, it is a fire-new creation absolutely. The theory and practices prove that the new method can efficiently model the seismic wave-field in complex media. Proposing and developing this new method can provide more choices to study the seismic wave-field modeling, seismic wave migration, seismic inversion, and seismic wave imaging.

分散元素铟富集的矿床类型和矿物专属性

文章研究了我国一些铁锰矿床、铜矿床及铅锌硫化物矿床矿石及矿物中铟的含量变化特点，发现In在不同类型的铅、锌、铜、铁、锰等矿床中并不大量富集，在这些矿床中矿石平均ωIn大都低于10×10^-6；在锡石硫化物矿床和富含锡的铅锌多金属矿床中，矿石中ωIn平均可达80×10^-6以上，这类矿床中铟的工业储量可达数百吨甚至数千吨，80％以上的铟都富集在闪锌矿中。研究结果表明，铟的富集成矿具有矿床类型和矿物专属性，这种专属性对铟资源的寻找与利用具有重要意义.

华南下寒武统层序框架的初步构建―以遵义松林地区为例

华南下寒武统保存着国际著名的生物群（如澄江生物群），同时蕴藏着磷块岩、重晶石、稀土及Ni-Mo-PGE等丰富的矿产资源，因此，它一直为地质科学家们持续关注的热点之一。关于华南下寒武统的研究，前人在古生物学方面已经取得了卓著的成就，主要表现在国际权威期刊上（如期刊《Science》和《Nature》）已发表大量的关于澄江生物群的研究成果，对早期生命演化研究具有重要而广泛的影响。然而，华南下寒武统年代学及国际对比研究方面已明显滞后，公开发表的华南下寒武统的高精度、可靠的锆石U-Pb年龄数据至本研究论文截稿时止仍然仅有唯一的一个，即Jenkins et al. (2002)报道的国际前寒武系-寒武系界线层型候选剖面―云南晋宁梅树村剖面的朱家菁组中谊村段中部（第5层）钾质斑脱岩锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄（538.2 ± 1.5 Ma）。因而，华南下寒武统中的重要生物群、矿床及具全球对比意义的C同位素漂移事件缺乏地层精确年龄的约束，进而制约了早期生命演化理论、矿床成因解释及地层国际对比等方面研究的发展。 近来，发现华南下寒武统赋存独特的钾质斑脱岩层，它们在横向上广泛分布于云南东部、四川峨眉麦地坪、贵州西部（如织金和金沙岩孔）及北部（如遵义松林）、湖北宜昌泰山庙和湖南张家界等地区，在地层序列垂向上主要产出于朱家菁组中谊村段中部、石岩头组底部以及它们的相当层位。这些钾质斑脱岩既是建立地层框架等时层潜在的物质基础，亦是获取地层精确锆石U-Pb年龄的具重要意义的研究对象之一。因此，对它们进行系统研究可望改观华南下寒武统年代学及国际对比研究方面的落后现状。 同时，华南下寒武统广泛产出的磷块岩既具有重要的资源价值，另一方面，任一磷块岩层代表着一次独立的成磷事件，因而将华南地区下寒武统磷块岩进行区域上的对比研究，从而以磷块岩层作为等时层，对构建华南下寒武统地层框架具有重要的地层学意义。 此外，华南下寒武统产出的Ni-Mo多元素富集层广泛分布于扬子地台范围，西起云南东部，东部延至浙江诸暨地区，在NE-SW向延伸近1600 km，它既代 表了重要的成矿事件，亦为关键的地球化学异常层位。因此，对Ni-Mo多元素富集层进行区域上的对比研究，明确它在华南下寒武统各重要剖面的产出位置，对于构建华南下寒武统层序框架具有重要意义。 遵义松林地区的下寒武统因赋存Ni-Mo-PGE矿床及与滇东地区澄江生物群相当的遵义生物群而日益受到国内外地质学家们的广泛关注。该区牛蹄塘组底部产出磷块岩、钾质斑脱岩及Ni-Mo多元素富集层，与滇东地区梅树村剖面出露的地层具有潜在的可对比性。因此，本研究选取近年来日益受科学家们关注的遵义松林地区下寒武统作为研究对象，重点对该区牛蹄塘组底部的钾质斑脱岩开展矿物学、地球化学和年代学研究。同时，将遵义松林地区下寒武统剖面上磷块岩、钾质斑脱岩、Ni-Mo多元素富集层主要与滇东地区梅树村剖面的相应岩层进行地球化学对比研究。研究的目的在于通过对华南地区上述两条代表性的下寒武统剖面进行地层对比研究，初步构建华南下寒武统具时间、空间涵义的层序框架，从而约束华南下寒武统中的重要生物群、矿床及具全球对比意义的C同位素漂移事件的时间，进一步促进华南下寒武统的划分和全球对比。论文获得以下主要结论性认识： （1）滇东地区朱家菁组中谊村段中部钾质斑脱岩及其邻近的磷块岩可构成华南下寒武统层序框架的第一个标志层。这一标志层在贵州大部分地区（或华南地区的多数下寒武统剖面）缺失。该标志层的磷块岩稀土元素总量和Y含量高于新元古代陡山沱期磷块岩，低于遵义松林地区牛蹄塘组底部及其华南其它地区相当层位（石岩头组底部及戈仲伍组）的磷块岩。第一个标志层的钾质斑脱岩的原始岩浆为亚碱性系列的酸性岩浆，其典型特征为具有较低的Zr（变化范围144×10-6~291×10-6，平均196.4×10-6）、Nb（变化范围10×10-6~13×10-6，平均11.86×10-6）含量和较高的Zr/Nb比值（变化范围为12.63~24.24，平均值为16.55）。这一层钾质斑脱岩的锆石U-Pb年龄为538.2±1.5 Ma（Jenkins et al., 2002）。 （2）遵义松林地区牛蹄塘组底部钾质斑脱岩和磷块岩分别相当于滇东地区石岩头组底部钾质斑脱岩和磷块岩，它们构成华南下寒武统层序框架的第二个标志层。该标志层中钾质斑脱岩的原始岩浆性质为中性岩浆，其碱性程度高于朱家菁组中谊村段中部钾质斑脱岩的原始岩浆。相对于中谊村段中部钾质斑脱岩，该层位的钾质斑脱岩具有高的Zr(变化范围187.0910-6~391.5710-6，平均值318.4010-6)、Nb（49.6910-6~140.0010-6，平均值90.6810-6）含量和低的Zr/Nb（2.60~4.32，平均值3.61）比值。该钾质斑脱岩的年龄为518 ± 5 Ma。该标志层的磷块岩以极其富REE和Y为特征，其稀土元素总量平均值为636.01×10-6，Y含量平均值262.43×10-6，明显高于滇东地区中谊村段磷块岩（∑REE平均值为195.45×10-6，Y含量平均值为91.2310-6），它们代表早寒武世时期一次特殊的以极其富REE和Y为特征的成磷事件。 （3）Ni-Mo多元素富集层可以作为构建华南下寒武统层序框架中的第三个等时标志层。滇东地区梅树村剖面的Ni-Mo多元素富集层被重新校正在玉案山组底部（即13层，Ni、Mo含量分别为135×10-6和583×10-6）。Ni-Mo多元素地球化学标志层的典型特征为在剖面上具Ni、Mo等多种微量元素及贵金属元素的最高异常。该标志层的Re-Os年龄为537~542 Ma，可能代表的不是地层层序的年龄。 （4）初步建立华南下寒武统时间框架。约束了华南地区下寒武统Ni-Mo-PGE矿床的下限年龄应为518 ± 5 Ma。同时，该时间框架亦约束了滇东地区澄江生物群及最古老三叶虫的下限年龄（518 ± 5 Ma），考虑到石岩头组底部钾质斑脱岩的产出位置与玉案山组中部澄江生物群的产出层位存在相当的距离（大于80 m），因此，前人对澄江生物群的推测年龄（525~530 Ma）可能有些偏老。此外，初步约束了华南地区具全球对比意义的C同位素正漂移事件的年龄（538~518 Ma）。该时间框架是建立在两个相互支持的地层高精度锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄的基础之上，而国际前寒武系-寒武系界线年龄的最新研究成果为542 Ma，因此，它支持将华南地区的前寒武系-寒武系界线置于朱家菁组中谊村段中部钾质斑脱岩层（第5层）的下伏地层的方案。结合华南地区最新的地层古生物学研究成果（朱茂炎等，2001；Zhu et al., 2003），将这一界线置于朱家菁组中谊村段底界可作为一种合理的选择。

Ciclos de seleção e modificações na anatomia radicular do milho Saracura sob alagamento.

O alagamento é um problema encontrado em diversas áreas com potencial agrícola, afetando principalmente os produtores mais pobres. O milho ?Saracura? BRS 4154 foi desenvolvido no intuito de possibilitar o seu plantio em regiões sujeitas ao alagamento, estando atualmente no seu 18° ciclo de seleção. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos verificar as modificações nas características anatômicas radiculares relacionadas com o alagamento e o seu incremento ou não ao longo dos 18 ciclos de seleção em comparação com 2 variedades controle (BR 107 e BRS 1010) submetidas ao alagamento intermitente de 2 dias. As amostras radiculares foram preparadas pelas microtécnicas apropriadas e analisadas em microscopia óptica. Foram observados em relação ao grupo controle e aos ciclos anteriores: aumentos na capacidade de formação de aerênquima; diminuição no córtex; diminuição no diâmetro dos vasos; diminuição da camada subepidérmica; aumento na espessura do floema; e epiderme. Dessa forma, os sucessivos ciclos de seleção foram capazes de melhorar as características do milho Saracura e a sua adaptabilidade a ambientes alagados.

Determination of ionic resistance and optimal composition in the anodic catalyst layers of DMFC using AC impedance

In the present study, a method based on transmission-line mode for a porous electrode was used to measure the ionic resistance of the anode catalyst layer under in situ fuel cell operation condition. The influence of Nafion content and catalyst loading in the anode catalyst layer on the methanol electro-oxidation and direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) performance based on unsupported Pt-Ru black was investigated by using the AC impedance method. The optimal Nafion content was found to be 15 wt% at 75 degrees C. The optimal Pt-Ru loading is related to the operating temperature, for example, about 2.0 mg/cm(2) for 75-90 degrees C, 3.0 mg/cm2 for 50 degrees C. Over these values, the cell performance decreased due to the increases in ohmic and mass transfer resistances. It was found that the peak power density obtained was 217 mW/cm(2) with optimal catalyst and Nafion loading at 75 degrees C using oxygen. (c) 2005 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-level laser therapy and light-emitting diode effects in the secretion of neuropeptides SP and CGRP in rat skin

The phototherapy effects in the skin are related to biomodulation, usually to accelerate wound healing. However, there is no direct proof of the interrelation between the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and light-emitting diode (LED) in neuropeptide secretion, these substances being prematurely involved in the neurogenic inflammation phase of wound healing. This study therefore focused on investigating LLLT and LED in Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) secretion in healthy rat skin. Forty rats were randomly distributed into five groups with eight rats each: Control Group, Blue LED Group (470 nm, 350 mW power), Red LED Group (660 nm, 350 mW power), Red Laser Group (660 nm, 100 mW power), and Infrared Laser Group (808 nm, 100 mW power) (DMCA (R) Equipamentos Ltda., So Carlos, So Paulo, Brazil). the skin of the animals in the experimental groups was irradiated using the punctual contact technique, with a total energy of 40 J, single dose, standardized at one point in the dorsal region. After 14 min of irradiation, the skin samples were collected for CGRP and SP quantification using western blot analysis. SP was released in Infrared Laser Group (p = 0.01); there was no difference in the CGRP secretion among groups. Infrared (808 nm) LLLT enhances neuropeptide SP secretion in healthy rat skin.

New Collected Poems of W. S. Graham

Francis, Matthew, New Collected Poems of W. S. Graham, (London: Faber and Faber, 2004 RAE2008

Informe de actividades en desarrollo del Programa de diversificación del carriel antioqueño.

9 hojas.

Gene expression signatures of radiation response are specific, durable and accurate in mice and humans.

BACKGROUND: Previous work has demonstrated the potential for peripheral blood (PB) gene expression profiling for the detection of disease or environmental exposures. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We have sought to determine the impact of several variables on the PB gene expression profile of an environmental exposure, ionizing radiation, and to determine the specificity of the PB signature of radiation versus other genotoxic stresses. Neither genotype differences nor the time of PB sampling caused any lessening of the accuracy of PB signatures to predict radiation exposure, but sex difference did influence the accuracy of the prediction of radiation exposure at the lowest level (50 cGy). A PB signature of sepsis was also generated and both the PB signature of radiation and the PB signature of sepsis were found to be 100% specific at distinguishing irradiated from septic animals. We also identified human PB signatures of radiation exposure and chemotherapy treatment which distinguished irradiated patients and chemotherapy-treated individuals within a heterogeneous population with accuracies of 90% and 81%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that PB gene expression profiles can be identified in mice and humans that are accurate in predicting medical conditions, are specific to each condition and remain highly accurate over time.

Growth hormone mitigates against lethal irradiation and enhances hematologic and immune recovery in mice and nonhuman primates.

Medications that can mitigate against radiation injury are limited. In this study, we investigated the ability of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) to mitigate against radiation injury in mice and nonhuman primates. BALB/c mice were irradiated with 7.5 Gy and treated post-irradiation with rhGH intravenously at a once daily dose of 20 microg/dose for 35 days. rhGH protected 17 out of 28 mice (60.7%) from lethal irradiation while only 3 out of 28 mice (10.7%) survived in the saline control group. A shorter course of 5 days of rhGH post-irradiation produced similar results. Compared with the saline control group, treatment with rhGH on irradiated BALB/c mice significantly accelerated overall hematopoietic recovery. Specifically, the recovery of total white cells, CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets, B cells, NK cells and especially platelets post radiation exposure were significantly accelerated in the rhGH-treated mice. Moreover, treatment with rhGH increased the frequency of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells as measured by flow cytometry and colony forming unit assays in bone marrow harvested at day 14 after irradiation, suggesting the effects of rhGH are at the hematopoietic stem/progenitor level. rhGH mediated the hematopoietic effects primarily through their niches. Similar data with rhGH were also observed following 2 Gy sublethal irradiation of nonhuman primates. Our data demonstrate that rhGH promotes hematopoietic engraftment and immune recovery post the exposure of ionizing radiation and mitigates against the mortality from lethal irradiation even when administered after exposure.

Diagnosis of partial body radiation exposure in mice using peripheral blood gene expression profiles.

In the event of a terrorist-mediated attack in the United States using radiological or improvised nuclear weapons, it is expected that hundreds of thousands of people could be exposed to life-threatening levels of ionizing radiation. We have recently shown that genome-wide expression analysis of the peripheral blood (PB) can generate gene expression profiles that can predict radiation exposure and distinguish the dose level of exposure following total body irradiation (TBI). However, in the event a radiation-mass casualty scenario, many victims will have heterogeneous exposure due to partial shielding and it is unknown whether PB gene expression profiles would be useful in predicting the status of partially irradiated individuals. Here, we identified gene expression profiles in the PB that were characteristic of anterior hemibody-, posterior hemibody- and single limb-irradiation at 0.5 Gy, 2 Gy and 10 Gy in C57Bl6 mice. These PB signatures predicted the radiation status of partially irradiated mice with a high level of accuracy (range 79-100%) compared to non-irradiated mice. Interestingly, PB signatures of partial body irradiation were poorly predictive of radiation status by site of injury (range 16-43%), suggesting that the PB molecular response to partial body irradiation was anatomic site specific. Importantly, PB gene signatures generated from TBI-treated mice failed completely to predict the radiation status of partially irradiated animals or non-irradiated controls. These data demonstrate that partial body irradiation, even to a single limb, generates a characteristic PB signature of radiation injury and thus may necessitate the use of multiple signatures, both partial body and total body, to accurately assess the status of an individual exposed to radiation.

Global Rates of Free Hydrogen (H2) Production by Serpentinization and other Abiogenic Processes within Young Ocean Crust

The main conclusion of this dissertation is that global H2 production within young ocean crust (<10 Mya) is higher than currently recognized, in part because current estimates of H2 production accompanying the serpentinization of peridotite may be too low (Chapter 2) and in part because a number of abiogenic H2-producing processes have heretofore gone unquantified (Chapter 3). The importance of free H2 to a range of geochemical processes makes the quantitative understanding of H2 production advanced in this dissertation pertinent to an array of open research questions across the geosciences (e.g. the origin and evolution of life and the oxidation of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans).

The first component of this dissertation (Chapter 2) examines H2 produced within young ocean crust [e.g. near the mid-ocean ridge (MOR)] by serpentinization. In the presence of water, olivine-rich rocks (peridotites) undergo serpentinization (hydration) at temperatures of up to ~500°C but only produce H2 at temperatures up to ~350°C. A simple analytical model is presented that mechanistically ties the process to seafloor spreading and explicitly accounts for the importance of temperature in H2 formation. The model suggests that H2 production increases with the rate of seafloor spreading and the net thickness of serpentinized peridotite (S-P) in a column of lithosphere. The model is applied globally to the MOR using conservative estimates for the net thickness of lithospheric S-P, our least certain model input. Despite the large uncertainties surrounding the amount of serpentinized peridotite within oceanic crust, conservative model parameters suggest a magnitude of H2 production (~1012 moles H2/y) that is larger than the most widely cited previous estimates (~1011 although previous estimates range from 1010-1012 moles H2/y). Certain model relationships are also consistent with what has been established through field studies, for example that the highest H2 fluxes (moles H2/km2 seafloor) are produced near slower-spreading ridges (<20 mm/y). Other modeled relationships are new and represent testable predictions. Principal among these is that about half of the H2 produced globally is produced off-axis beneath faster-spreading seafloor (>20 mm/y), a region where only one measurement of H2 has been made thus far and is ripe for future investigation.

In the second part of this dissertation (Chapter 3), I construct the first budget for free H2 in young ocean crust that quantifies and compares all currently recognized H2 sources and H2 sinks. First global estimates of budget components are proposed in instances where previous estimate(s) could not be located provided that the literature on that specific budget component was not too sparse to do so. Results suggest that the nine known H2 sources, listed in order of quantitative importance, are: Crystallization (6x1012 moles H2/y or 61% of total H2 production), serpentinization (2x1012 moles H2/y or 21%), magmatic degassing (7x1011 moles H2/y or 7%), lava-seawater interaction (5x1011 moles H2/y or 5%), low-temperature alteration of basalt (5x1011 moles H2/y or 5%), high-temperature alteration of basalt (3x1010 moles H2/y or <1%), catalysis (3x108 moles H2/y or <<1%), radiolysis (2x108 moles H2/y or <<1%), and pyrite formation (3x106 moles H2/y or <<1%). Next we consider two well-known H2 sinks, H2 lost to the ocean and H2 occluded within rock minerals, and our analysis suggests that both are of similar size (both are 6x1011 moles H2/y). Budgeting results suggest a large difference between H2 sources (total production = 1x1013 moles H2/y) and H2 sinks (total losses = 1x1011 moles H2/y). Assuming this large difference represents H2 consumed by microbes (total consumption = 9x1011 moles H2/y), we explore rates of primary production by the chemosynthetic, sub-seafloor biosphere. Although the numbers presented require further examination and future modifications, the analysis suggests that the sub-seafloor H2 budget is similar to the sub-seafloor CH4 budget in the sense that globally significant quantities of both of these reduced gases are produced beneath the seafloor but never escape the seafloor due to microbial consumption.

The third and final component of this dissertation (Chapter 4) explores the self-organization of barchan sand dune fields. In nature, barchan dunes typically exist as members of larger dune fields that display striking, enigmatic structures that cannot be readily explained by examining the dynamics at the scale of single dunes, or by appealing to patterns in external forcing. To explore the possibility that observed structures emerge spontaneously as a collective result of many dunes interacting with each other, we built a numerical model that treats barchans as discrete entities that interact with one another according to simplified rules derived from theoretical and numerical work, and from field observations: Dunes exchange sand through the fluxes that leak from the downwind side of each dune and are captured on their upstream sides; when dunes become sufficiently large, small dunes are born on their downwind sides (“calving”); and when dunes collide directly enough, they merge. Results show that these relatively simple interactions provide potential explanations for a range of field-scale phenomena including isolated patches of dunes and heterogeneous arrangements of similarly sized dunes in denser fields. The results also suggest that (1) dune field characteristics depend on the sand flux fed into the upwind boundary, although (2) moving downwind, the system approaches a common attracting state in which the memory of the upwind conditions vanishes. This work supports the hypothesis that calving exerts a first order control on field-scale phenomena; it prevents individual dunes from growing without bound, as single-dune analyses suggest, and allows the formation of roughly realistic, persistent dune field patterns.