Sedimentation rate calculations and isotopic analysis on sediment cores along the IODP Expedition 311 transect

The oceanographic and tectonic conditions of accretionary margins are well-suited for several potential processes governing methane generation, storage and release. To identify the relevant methane evolution pathways in the northern Cascadia accretionary margin, a four-site transect was drilled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311. The d13C values of methane range from a minimum value of -82.2 per mil on an uplifted ridge of accreted sediment near the deformation front (Site U1326, 1829 mbsl, meters below sea level) to a maximum value of -39.5 per mil at the most landward location within an area of steep canyons near the shelf edge (Site U1329, 946 mbsl). An interpretation based solely on methane isotope values might conclude the 13C-enrichment of methane indicates a transition from microbially- to thermogenically-sourced methane. However, the co-existing CO2 exhibits a similar trend of 13C-enrichment along the transect with values ranging from -22.5 per mil to +25.7 per mil. The magnitude of the carbon isotope separation between methane and CO2 (Ec = 63.8 ± 5.8) is consistent with isotope fractionation during microbially mediated carbonate reduction. These results, in conjunction with a transect-wide gaseous hydrocarbon content composed of > 99.8% (by volume) methane and uniform dDCH4 values (-172 per mil ± 8) that are distinct from thermogenic methane at a seep located 60 km from the Expedition 311 transect, suggest microbial CO2 reduction is the predominant methane source at all investigated sites. The magnitude of the intra-site downhole 13C-enrichment of CO2 within the accreted ridge (Site U1326) and a slope basin nearest the deformation front (Site U1325, 2195 mbsl) is ~ 5 per mil. At the mid-slope site (Site U1327, 1304 mbsl) the downhole 13C-enrichment of the CO2 is ~ 25 per mil and increases to ~ 40 per mil at the near-shelf edge Site U1329. This isotope fractionation pattern is indicative of more extensive diagenetic alteration at sites with greater 13C-enrichment. The magnitude of the 13C-enrichment of CO2 correlates with decreasing sedimentation rates and a diminishing occurrence of stratigraphic gas hydrate. We suggest the decreasing sedimentation rates increase the exposure time of sedimentary organic matter to aerobic and anaerobic degradation, during burial, thereby reducing the availability of metabolizable organic matter available for methane production. This process is reflected in the occurrence and distribution of gas hydrate within the northern Cascadia margin accretionary prism. Our observations are relevant for evaluating methane production and the occurrence of stratigraphic gas hydrate within other convergent margins.

Oxygen contents, sulfate concentrations, and changes of IPLs under different storage conditions of samples from ODP Leg 204 and IODP Expedition 311

We have studied the effects of slow infiltration of oxygen on microbial communities in refrigerated legacy samples from ocean drilling expeditions. Storage was in heat-sealed, laminated foil bags with a N2 headspace for geomicrobiological studies. Analysis of microbial lipids suggests that Bacteria were barely detectable in situ but increased remarkably during storage. Detailed molecular examination of a methane-rich sediment horizon showed that refrigeration triggered selective growth of ANME-2 archaea and a drastic change in the bacterial community. Subsequent enrichment targeting methanogens yielded exclusively methylotrophs, which were probably selected for by high sulfate levels caused by oxidation of reduced sulfur species. We provide recommendations for sample storage in future ocean drilling expeditions.

Sedimentology and gas hydrates of IODP Expedition 311 samples

Expedition 311 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) to northern Cascadia recovered gas-hydrate bearing sediments along a SW-NE transect from the first ridge of the accretionary margin to the eastward limit of gas-hydrate stability. In this study we contrast the gas gas-hydrate distribution from two sites drilled ~ 8 km apart in different tectonic settings. At Site U1325, drilled on a depositional basin with nearly horizontal sedimentary sequences, the gas-hydrate distribution shows a trend of increasing saturation toward the base of gas-hydrate stability, consistent with several model simulations in the literature. Site U1326 was drilled on an uplifted ridge characterized by faulting, which has likely experienced some mass wasting events. Here the gas hydrate does not show a clear depth-distribution trend, the highest gas-hydrate saturation occurs well within the gas-hydrate stability zone at the shallow depth of ~ 49 mbsf. Sediments at both sites are characterized by abundant coarse-grained (sand) layers up to 23 cm in thickness, and are interspaced within fine-grained (clay and silty clay) detrital sediments. The gas-hydrate distribution is punctuated by localized depth intervals of high gas-hydrate saturation, which preferentially occur in the coarse-grained horizons and occupy up to 60% of the pore space at Site U1325 and > 80% at Site U1326. Detailed analyses of contiguous samples of different lithologies show that when enough methane is present, about 90% of the variance in gas-hydrate saturation can be explained by the sand (> 63 µm) content of the sediments. The variability in gas-hydrate occupancy of sandy horizons at Site U1326 reflects an insufficient methane supply to the sediment section between 190 and 245 mbsf.

Diário da Constituinte [gravação de vídeo] : [programa n. 311]

Jornais publicam recado do Palácio do Planalto de que o Presidente da República José Sarney irá considerar inimigo quem não votar no mandato de cinco anos. O Senador Nelson Carneiro (PMDB-RJ) afirma que se alguém usou a fala do Presidente para deturpá-la deve ser punido. O Líder do Governo, Deputado Carlos Sant'anna (PMDB-BA), explica como a declaração foi feita. O Deputado Roberto Freire (PCB-PE), Lider do Partido, declara que vão demonstrar que esse governo é um elemento orgânico de transição tanto quanto a Constituinte e não pode buscar confrontos. Conforme o Deputado Ulysses Guimarães (PMDB-SP), presidente da Assembleia Nacional Constituinte (ANC), os constituintes votarão de acordo com sua consciência. Serão votadas a duração do mandato do Presidente e a instalação do parlamentarismo. O Deputado Bernardo Cabral (PMDB-AM) defende a manutenção do texto. Os Deputados Egídio Ferreira Lima (PMDB-PE), Antônio Brito (PMDB-RS) e Paes de Andrade (PMDB-CE) manifestam-se a respeito do sistema de governo proposto. O Deputado Paes de Andrade (PMDB-CE) acredita na implantação do parlamentarismo e no mandato de cinco anos. O Senador Ruy Bacelar (PMDB-BA) defende que se o parlamentarismo for aprovado, que seja instalado no próximo governo. Constituintes mantiveram o SUS de acordo com o Substitutivo Cabral. A Deputada Abigail Feitosa (PMDB-BA) cita vantagens do SUS. A Comissão rejeitou emenda do Deputado Gastone Righi (PTB-SP) que permitia o uso de recursos públicos em investimentos privados na área da saúde. O Deputado Bernardo Cabral (PMDB-AM) apresenta seu voto contra e sensibiliza constituintes para que sigam seu voto. Acordo entre líderes retirou do texto o monopólio do Estado para importar equipamentos. O Deputado Alceni Guerra (PFL-PR) comenta que ficam estabelecidas na Constituição as estruturas de saúde estatal e privada.

Bird migration and the spread of Crustacea. [Translation from: Verhandlungen der Deutschen Zoologischen Gesellschaft 27, 311-316, 1963.]

The passive spread of a high percentage of freshwater organisms is one of the most important requirements in short-lived and insular communities for species to attai n and survive - and consequently to balance the lack of a topographical continuity of most inland waters. Unfortunately hardly anything is known about the amounts of seed material typical for any lake into which it is carried. The causes of passive dissemination - wind, water and animals as well as man - are confirmed by many examples. It has been assumed now for at least a hundered years that , among animals, birds play a prominent role, although also disappointingly few facts are at hand. The passage and spread through birds' intestines has up to now been supported only by some limited data. This paper reports on experimental research where the eggs of Daphnia magna, Triops cancriformis, Artemia salina, Diaptomus spinosus and Cypris pubera were introduced by means of gelatine capsules into the oesophagus of a drake. The bird's excrements were inspected under a microscope for eggs and resting stages, and these were transferred into corresponding cultures.

Atomic hydrogen induced step bunching and fabrication of quantum wire arrays on GaAs (311)A substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

Atomic hydrogen assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is a novel type of epitaxial growth of nanostructures. The GaAs (311)A surface naturally forms one-dimensional step arrays by step bunching along the direction of (-233) and the space period is around 40nm. The step arrays extend over several mum without displacement. The InGaAs quantum wire arrays are grown on the step arrays as the basis. Our results may prompt further development of more uniform quantum wire and quantum dot arrays.

InAs self-assembled quantum dots grown on an InP (311)B substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) have been grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy on a (311)B InP substrate. Transmission electron microscopy clearly shows that a high density of smaller InAs islands can be obtained by using such a high index substrate. After introducing a lattice-matched underlying In0.52Al0.24Ga0.24As layer, the InAs QDs are much more uniform in size and form two-dimensional well ordered arrays. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra also confirm that the InAs QDs grown on underlying In0.52Al0.24Ga0.24As have a better quality than those grown in the In0.52Al0.48As matrix. A simple calculation indicates that the redshift of the PL peak energy mainly results from InAs QDs on underlying In0.52Al0.24Ga0.24As of large size. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Photoluminescence studies of type-II self-assembled InAlAs/AlGaAs QDs grown on (311)A GaAs substrate

The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of self-assembled In0.55Al0.45As/Al0.45Ga0.5As quantum dots (QD) grown on (311)A GaAs substrate were measured. The type- I character of PL related to the X valley was verified by excitation power dependence of peak position and the PL spectra under different pressure , which was attributed to the type- II transition from X valley in Al0.5Ga0.5As to heavy holes in In0.55Al0.45As The high energy Gamma -related transition was also observed above 70K and assigned as the transition between Gamma valley and heavy holes in In-0.55 Al0.45As. The X-valley split was discussed to interpret the observed second X-related peak under pressure.

Two-dimensional ordering of self-assembled InAs quantum dots grown on (311)B InP substrate

Self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) in InAlAs grown on (001) and (311)B InP substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been comparatively investigated. A correlated study of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) disclosed that InAs QDs grown on high-index InP substrates can lead to high density and uniformity. By introducing a lattice-matched InAlGaAs overlayer on InAlAs buffer, still more dense and uniform InAs QDs were obtained in comparison with InAs QDs formed with only InAlAs matrix. Moreover, two-dimensional well-ordered InAs dots with regular shape grown on (311)B InP substrates are reported for the first time. We explained this exceptional phenomenon from strain energy combined with kinetics point of view. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-organized type-II In0.55Al0.45As/Al0.50Ga0.50As quantum dots realized on GaAs(311)A

Self-organized In0.55Al0.45As/Al0.50Ga0.50As quantum dots are grown by the Stranski-Krastanow growth mode using molecular beam epitaxy on the GaAs(311)A substrate. The optical properties of type-II InAlAs/AlGaAs quantum dots have been demonstrated by the excitation power and temperature dependence of photoluminescence spectra. A simple model accounting for the size-dependent band gap of quantum dots is given to qualitatively understand the formation of type-II In0.55Al0.45As/Al0.50Ga0.50As quantum dots driven by the quantum-confinement-induced Gamma --> X transition. The results provide new insights into the band structure of InAlAs/AlGaAs quantum dots. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)00725-7].