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USGS1972

Factors of ecologic succession in oligotrophic fish communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Oligotrophic fish communities of the Great Lakes have undergone successive disruptions since the mid-1800s. Major contributing factors have been intensive selective fisheries, extreme modification of the drainage, invasion of marine species, and progressive physical–chemical changes of the lake environments. Lake Ontario was the first to be affected as its basin was settled and industrialized earliest, and it was the first to be connected by canals to the mid-Atlantic where the alewife ( Alosa pseudoharengus ) and sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) which ultimately became established in the Great Lakes were abundant. Oligotrophic fish communities were successively disrupted in Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior as the affects of population growth, industrialization, and marine invaders spread upward in the Laurentian drainage.The degree and sequence of response of families offish and species within families differed for each factor, but the sequence of change among families and species has been the same in response to each factor as it affected various lakes at different times. The ultimate result of the disruption of fish communities has been a reduction of productivity of oligotrophic species that ranges from extreme in Lake Ontario to moderate in Lake Superior, and which has reached a state of instability and rapid change in the upper three Great Lakes by the rnid-1900s similar to the situation in Lake Ontario in the mid-1800s. Since oligotrophic species (primarily salmonines, coregonines, and deepwater cottids) are the only kinds of fish that fully occupied the entire volume of the deepwater Great Lakes (Ontario, Huron, Michigan, and Superior), the fish biomass of these lakes has been reduced as various species declined or disappeared. In Lake Erie, which is shallow, and in the shallow bays of the deep lakes, oligotrophic species were replaced by mesotrophic species, primarily percids, which have successively increased and declined. All oligotrophic species are greatly reduced or extinct in lakes Ontario and Erie, and are in various stages of decline in lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior, from greatest to least, respectively. The percids appear to be near the end of their sequence of succession in lakes Erie, Ontario, and Huron (primarily Saginaw Bay) where only the yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) remains abundant. The yellow perch appears to be on the brink of decline in Lake Erie, which has been more severely influenced by water quality change than the other lakes.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗

USGS2009

Effects of vegetation restoration and slope positions on soil aggregation and soil carbon accumulation on heavily eroded tropical land of Southern China

Background aim and scope Soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation is strongly affected by soil erosion and deposition that differ at slope positions of a watershed. However, studies on the effects of topography on soil aggregation and SOC dynamics, especially after the implementation of vegetation restoration, are rare. Poorly understood mechanisms and a lack of quantification for the suite of ecological benefits brought by the impacts of topography after planting further obstructed our understanding of terrestrial ecosystem carbon (C) sequestration. The purposes of this study are to (1) quantify the impacts of vegetation restoration on size and stability of soil aggregates and the sequestration of C in soil and (2) to address the impacts of various slope locations on aggregates and SOC distribution. Materials and methods The experimental sites were set up in 1959 on a highly disturbed barren land in a tropical and coastal area of Guangdong province in South China. One site received human-induced vegetation restoration (the restored site), while the other received no planting and has remained as barren land (the barren site). The soil in the study sites was a latosol developed from granite. Soil samples were taken from 0 to 20 and 20 to 40 cm soil layer at shoulder and toe slope positions at both sites for comparisons. Soils were analyzed for proportion of soil macroaggregates (>0.25 mm), the SOC in soil layers, and the aggregate soil organic carbon (AOC) at different aggregate sizes. Results and discussion Measurements in 2007 showed that fractions of water stable macroaggregates in 0–40 cm at shoulder and toe slope ranged from 28% to 45%, about one third to one half of those of dry macroaggregates (91–95%) at the restored site. Soil macroaggregates were not detected at barren site in 2007. Average SOC storage in 0–40 cm soil layer of shoulder and toe slope positions at the restored site was 56.5 ± 10.9 Mg C ha −1 , about 2.4 times of that (23.4 ± 4.6 Mg C ha −1 ) at barren site in 2007. Since 1959, the soil aggregation and SOC storage are significantly improved at the restored site; opposite to that, soil physical and chemical quality has remained low on the barren land without planting. SOC storage in 0–40 cm at toe slope was 15.9 ± 1.8 Mg C ha −1 , which is only half of that (30.9 ± 9 Mg C ha −1 ) at shoulder slope of the barren site; this is opposite to the pattern found at restored site. The ratios of AOC in 0–20 cm to AOC in 20–40 cm at toe slope were lower than those at shoulder slope of the restored site. The comparison of organic carbon sequestered in soils at different slope positions suggest that soil aggregates played a role in sequestering C based upon landscape positions and soil profile depth as a consequence of soil erosion and deposition. Conclusions Results indicate that vegetation restoration and SOC accumulation significantly enhance soil aggregation, which in turn promotes further organic C accumulation in the aggregates via physical protection. Soil aggregation and soil C accumulation differed between slope positions. Soil aggregation was significantly enhanced in 0–20 cm layer and aggregates absorb C into deep layers in depositional environment (toe slope) under protection from human disturbances. The interactions of erosion–deposition, soil aggregates, and vegetation restoration play important roles on SOC accumulation and redistribution on land. Recommendations and perspectives The positive feedback between SOC and soil aggregates should be evaluated for improving the quantification of the impacts of land use change, erosion, and deposition on the dynamics of SOC and soil structure under the global climate change.

Guandong Province↗

USGS2015

Ground-truthing electrical resistivity methods in support of submarine groundwater discharge studies: Examples from Hawaii, Washington, and California

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is an important conduit that links terrestrial and marine environments. SGD conveys both water and water-borne constituents into coastal waters, where these inflows may impact near-shore ecosystem health and sustainability. Multichannel electrical resistivity techniques have proven to be a powerful tool to examine scales and dynamics of SGD and SGD forcings. However, there are uncertainties both in data aquisition and data processing that must be addressed to maximize the effectiveness of this tool in estuarine or marine environments. These issues most often relate to discerning subtle nuances in the flow of electricity through variably saturated media that can also be highly conductive ( i.e., seawater). Three contrasting field sites were examined for this study to assess the effectiveness of electrical resistivity techniques in varying coastal settings by comparing resistivity data to direct salinity and resistivity observations, quantifying changes in lithology and beach geomorphology, and fine-tuning inversion protocols. The three study sites all have substantial (up to 85 cm day −1 ) submarine groundwater discharge rates, but the hydrologic, oceanographic, and geologic characteristics of the sites are all very different. At a site in Pelekane Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii, seasonal flooding introduces very high concentrations of fine to coarse sediment into the bay. Near-shore circulation is limited in Pelekane Bay, so this newly introduced sediment can become deposited in the bay where it accumulates over time. At a site in Hood Canal, a fjord within Puget Sound, Washington, SGD rates can be high because of the large tidal range, abundant recharge, and steep hydrologic gradients. At Younger Lagoon in northern California, the flow of groundwater towards the coast is much more parsimonious, but here marine processes, including recirculated seawater, are important in controlling the flow of material towards the coast. Rigorous ground-truthing at each field site showed that multi-channel electrcial resistivity techniques can reproduce the scales and dynamics of a seepage field when such data are correctly collected, and when the model inversions are tuned to field site characteristics. Such information can provide a unique perspective on the scales and dynamics of exchange processes within a coastal aquifer—information essential to scientists and resource managers alike.

California, Hawaii, Washington↗

USGS1994

Use of geoelectrical methods in groundwater pollution surveys in a coastal environment

The pollution of coastal aquifers by old landfills can contaminate valuable and scarce water resources in the freshwater lens utilized seasonably by overcrowded communities. The pollutants will ultimately flow into the sea where they may also cause a coastal water pollution problem. We have detected pollution in the freshwater lens from a sanitary landfill near Provincetown, Cape Cod, using the geoelectrical resistivity method. This survey included Schlumberger geoelectrical depth soundings and a horizontal geoelectrical profile using the Wenner configuration. The geoelectrical survey was conducted at a site along Highway 6 where it passes the coastal town of Provincetown and a sanitary landfill that has been in operation since 1954. The depth soundings suggest the characteristic decrease in resistivity vs. depth from the high resistivity of the unsaturated zone to the low resistivity of the saltwater saturated zone. The freshwater lens is clearly identified by the change in slope of the steeply dipping curve of resistivity versus electrode spacing. Interpretations made using a multilayer program, Geomate, resulted in layer resistivities between 460 and 95 ohm?m for the freshwater lens. A comparison with well water resistivities suggests that a layer resistivity of 230 ohm?m or lower is indicative of pollution in the freshwater lens. The results of the geoelectrical depth soundings were confirmed in the Wenner horizontal profile. Both measurements suggest that the pollutants do not spread evenly as one would expect for a homogeneous and isotropic medium. Instead, a preferred channel for the flow of the pollutants is observed along a path from the landfill toward the shoreline. The depth to the saltwater/freshwater interface or, more specifically, to the low resistivity-high resistivity interface appears to be shallow where the freshwater lens is polluted. This was confirmed by pore water well samples that were highly mineralized. The equilibrium postulated by the Ghyben-Herzberg relation appears to be disturbed in the area of aquifer pollution. This rise in the conductivity boundary is caused by the highly mineralized bottom of the contaminant plume that submerges into the saltwater saturated zone. In the area of high freshwater pollution the groundwater can be subdivided into three layers that show a decrease in resistivity with depth. The formation factor, F, defined as the ratio of bulk aquifer resistivity to pore water resistivity, shows unusually high values between 10 and 12. These high values are unexpected for an unconsolidated sand. Pollution residues are suspected to clog the pores and thus to increase the resistivity. It is possible that iron-oxidizing bacteria and the precipitation of dissolved iron or organic pollutants are the cause of the high values of F. If proven correct, these interesting possibilities could lead to future new applications of the geoelectrical resistivity method in contaminant hydroloy.

Journal of Applied Geophysics↗

USGS2008

Characteristics, extent and origin of hydrothermal alteration at Mount Rainier Volcano, Cascades Arc, USA: Implications for debris-flow hazards and mineral deposits

Hydrothermal alteration at Mount Rainier waxed and waned over the 500,000-year episodic growth of the edifice. Hydrothermal minerals and their stable-isotope compositions in samples collected from outcrop and as clasts from Holocene debris-flow deposits identify three distinct hypogene argillic/advanced argillic hydrothermal environments: magmatic-hydrothermal, steam-heated, and magmatic steam (fumarolic), with minor superimposed supergene alteration. The 3.8 km 3 Osceola Mudflow (5600 y BP) and coeval phreatomagmatic F tephra contain the highest temperature and most deeply formed hydrothermal minerals. Relatively deeply formed magmatic-hydrothermal alteration minerals and associations in clasts include quartz (residual silica), quartz–alunite, quartz–topaz, quartz–pyrophyllite, quartz–dickite/kaolinite, and quartz–illite (all with pyrite). Clasts of smectite–pyrite and steam-heated opal–alunite–kaolinite are also common in the Osceola Mudflow. In contrast, the Paradise lahar, formed by collapse of the summit or near-summit of the edifice at about the same time, contains only smectite–pyrite and near-surface steam-heated and fumarolic alteration minerals. Younger debris-flow deposits on the west side of the volcano (Round Pass and distal Electron Mudflows) contain only low-temperature smectite–pyrite assemblages, whereas the proximal Electron Mudflow and a < 100 y BP rock avalanche on Tahoma Glacier also contain magmatic-hydrothermal alteration minerals that are exposed in the avalanche headwall of Sunset Amphitheater, reflecting progressive incision into deeper near-conduit alteration products that formed at higher temperatures. The pre-Osceola Mudflow alteration geometry is inferred to have consisted of a narrow feeder zone of intense magmatic-hydrothermal alteration limited to near the conduit of the volcano, which graded outward to more widely distributed, but weak, smectite–pyrite alteration within 1 km of the edifice axis, developed chiefly in porous breccias. The edifice was capped by a steam-heated alteration zone, most of which resulted from condensation of fumarolic vapor and oxidation of H 2 S in the unsaturated zone above the water table. Weakly developed smectite–pyrite alteration extended into the west and east flanks of the edifice, spatially associated with dikes that are localized in those sectors; other edifice flanks lack dikes and associated alteration. The Osceola collapse removed most of the altered core and upper east flank of the volcano, but intensely altered rocks remain on the uppermost west flank. Major conclusions of this study are that: (1) Hydrothermal–mineral assemblages and distributions at Mount Rainier can be understood in the framework of hydrothermal processes and environments developed from studies of ore deposits formed in analogous settings. (2) Frequent eruptions supplied sufficient hot magmatic fluid to alter the upper interior of the volcano hydrothermally, despite the consistently deep (≥ 8 km) magma reservoir which may have precluded formation of economic mineral deposits within or at shallow depths beneath Mount Rainier. The absence of indicator equilibrium alteration-mineral assemblages in the debris flows that effectively expose the volcano to a depth of 1–1.5 km also suggests a low potential for significant high-sulfidation epithermal or porphyry-type mineral deposits at depth. (3) Despite the long and complex history of the volcano, intensely altered collapse-prone rocks were spatially restricted to near the volcano's conduit system and summit, and short distances onto the upper east and west flanks, due to the necessary supply of reactive components carried by ascending magmatic fluids. (4) Intensely altered rocks were removed from the summit, east flank, and edifice interior by the Osceola collapse, but remain on the upper west flank in the Sunset Amphitheater area and present a continuing collapse hazard. (5) Visually conspicuous rocks on the lower east and mid-to-lower west flanks are not intensely altered and probably have not significantly weakened the rock, and thus do not present significant collapse hazards. (6) Alteration developed most intensely within breccia units, because of their high permeability and porosity. Volcanoes with abundant near-conduit upper-edifice breccias are prone to alteration increasing the possibility of collapse, whereas those that are breccia-poor (e.g., massive domes) are less prone to alteration.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗

USGS2013

Hydrogen isotope investigation of amphibole and glass in dacite magmas erupted in 1980-1986 and 2005 at Mount St. Helens, Washington

In active, shallow, sub-volcanic magma conduits the extent of the dehydrogenation–oxidation reaction in amphibole phenocrysts is controlled by energetic processes that cause crystal lattice damage or conditions that increase hydrogen diffusivity in magmatic phases. Amphibole phenocrysts separated from dacitic volcanic rocks erupted from 1980 to 1986 and in 2005 at Mount St. Helens (MSH) were analyzed for δD, water content and Fe 3 +/Fe 2 +, and fragments of glassy groundmass were analyzed for δD and water content. Changes in amphibole δD values through time are evaluated within the context of carefully observed volcanic eruption behavior and published petrological and geochemical investigations. Driving forces for amphibole dehydrogenation include increase in magma oxygen fugacity, decrease in amphibole hydrogen fugacity, or both. The phenocryst amphibole (δD value c. –57‰ and 2 wt % H 2 O) in the white fallout pumice of the May 18, 1980 plinian eruptive phase is probably little modified during rapid magma ascent up an ∼7 km conduit. Younger volcanic rocks incorporate some shallowly degassed dacitic magma from earlier pulses, based on amphibole phenocryst populations that exhibit varying degrees of dehydrogenation. Pyroclastic rocks from explosive eruptions in June–October 1980 have elevated abundances of mottled amphibole phenocrysts (peaking in some pyroclastic rocks erupted on July 22, 1980), and extensive amphibole dehydrogenation is linked to crystal damage from vesiculation and pyroclastic fountain collapse that increased effective hydrogen diffusion in amphibole. Multiple amphibole δD populations in many 1980 pyroclastic rocks combined with their groundmass characteristics (e.g. mixed pumice textures) support models of shallow mixing prior to, or during, eruption as new, volatile-rich magma pulses blended with more oxidized, degassed magma. Amphibole dehydrogenation is quenched at the top surface of MSH dacite lava lobes, but the diversity in the δD amph populations in original fresh lava flow surfaces may occur from blending magma domains with different ascent histories in the sub-volcanic environment immediately before eruption. Multi-stage open-system magma degassing operated in each parcel of magma rising toward the surface, whereas the magma below ∼7 km was a relatively closed system, at least to the October 1986 eruption based on the large population of minimally dehydrogenated, rim-free amphibole in the lavas. Magma degassing and possibly H isotope exchange with low-δD fluids around the roof zone may have accompanied the ∼1·5 km upward migration of the 1980 magma body. The low-δDamph (c. –188 to –122‰) oxy-amphibole phenocrysts in lava spines extruded in May 2005 reflect dehydrogenation as ascending viscous magma degassed and crystallized, and fractures that admitted oxygen into the hot solidified lava spine interior facilitated additional iron oxidation.

Washington↗

USGS1999

Depositional history of the Fire Clay coal bed (Late Duckmantian), Eastern Kentucky, USA

More than 3800 coal thickness measurements, proximate analyses from 97 localities, and stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses from more than 300 outcrops and cores were used in conjunction with previously reported palynological and petrographic studies to map individual benches of the coal and document bench-scale variability in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal bed across a 1860 km2 area of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. The bench architecture of the Fire Clay coal bed consists of uncommon leader benches, a persistent but variable lower bench, a widespread, and generally thick upper bench, and local, variable rider benches. Rheotrophic conditions are inferred for the leader benches and lower bench based on sedimentological associations, mixed palynomorph assemblages, locally common cannel coal layers, and generally high ash yields. The lower bench consistently exhibits vertical variability in petrography and palynology that reflects changing trophic conditions as topographic depressions infilled. Infilling also led to unconfined flooding and ultimately the drowning of the lower bench mire. The drowned mire was covered by an air-fall volcanic-ash deposit, which produced the characteristic flint clay parting. The extent and uniform thickness of the parting suggests that the ash layer was deposited in water on a relatively flat surface without a thick canopy or extensive standing vegetation across most of the study area. Ash deposits led to regional ponding and establishment of a second planar mire. Because the topography had become a broadly uniform, nutrient-rich surface, upper-bench peats became widespread with large areas of the mire distant to clastic sources. Vertical sections of thick (> 70 cm), low-ash yield, upper coal bench show a common palynomorph change from arborescent lycopod dominance upward to fern and densospore-producing, small lycopod dominance, inferred as a shift from planar to ombrotrophic mire phases. Domed mires appear to have been surrounded by wide areas of planar mires, where the coal was thinner (< 70 cm), higher in ash yield, and dominated by arborescent lycopods. Rectangular thickness trends suggest that syndepositional faulting influenced peat accumulation, and possibly the position of the domed mire phase. Faulting also influenced post-depositional clastic environments of deposition, resulting in sandstone channels with angular changes in orientation. Channels and lateral facies were locally draped by high-ash-yield rider coal benches, which sometimes merged with the upper coal bench. These arborescent-lycopod dominant rider coal benches were profoundly controlled by palcotopography, much like the leader coal benches. Each of the benches of coal documented here represent distinctly different mires that came together to form the Fire Clay coal bed, rather than a single mire periodically split by clastic influx. This is significant as each bench of the coal has its own characteristics, which contribute to the total coal characteristics. The large data set allows interpretation of both vertical and lateral limits to postulated domed phases in the upper coal bench, and to the delineation of subtle tectonic structures that allow for meaningful thickness projections beyond the limits of present mining.A study was conducted to analyze the depositional history of the Fire Clay coal bed in the eastern Kentucky coal field. The study involved over 3800 coal thickness measurements, proximate analyses from 97 localities, and stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses from more than 300 outcrops and cores in conjunction with previously reported palynological and petrographic studies to map individual benches of the coal and document bench-scale variability.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗

USGS1990

Growth and equilibrium in sea otter populations

(1) Counts through time were compiled for five sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ) populations in the north-east Pacific Ocean that were below equilibrium density: Attu Island, south-east Alaska, British Columbia, Washington State, and central California. Similar data were obtained from the equilibrium density population at Amchitka Island in 1971 and 1986. (2) Shorelines of Attu and Amchitka islands each were divided into forty-five segments, within which lineal (length of shore at mean higher high water) and areal (mean higher high water to the 10-fathom (18.3-m) depth contour) measures were made of the amount of habitat. (3) Rate of increase for the four northern populations was 17-20% year-1. Density- or size-dependent changes in rate of increase could not be demonstrated for any of these populations. The California population, in contrast, has undergone three apparent growth phases: the early 1900s to the mid-1970s when it increased about 5% year-1; the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s when it declined about 5% year-1; and the mid-1980s to 1988 when it increased about 7% year-1. An exponential growth model accounted for 92-98% of the variation in counts through time in all cases. (4) Population increase at Attu Island was achieved largely by range expansion as opposed to increased density. Range expansion in lineal and areal habitat occurred at 11% and 13% year-1, respectively; neither rate was lower (P > 0.25) than the observed rate of increase in numbers of animals counted. (5) Despite similarities in island size and physical environment, the most conservative estimates of population density at Amchitka Island were > 3 X greater than maximum density estimates for Attu Island. (6) Surveys of Amchitka Island from the mid-1930s through the mid-1980s indicate that the population increased to a peak in the 1940s; declined abruptly thereafter; and subsequently increased to a new and higher equilibrium in the 1960s, where it has since remained. (7) These population data, together with information on sea otter foraging and benthic community structure at Attu and Amchitka islands, suggest that multiple population equilibria exist in this system, emanating from complex trophic interactions low in the food web. I hypothesize that the lower population equilibrium is achieved largely or exclusively on an invertebrate diet consisting principally of herbivorous sea urchins. When unregulated by sea otter predation, the rocky benthos is deforested by sea urchin grazing. As growing otter populations compete increasingly for food, grazing intensity declines and the system shifts to one dominated by kelp beds, in turn leading to increased production, a shift in habitat structure, and population increases of kelp bed fishes. Apparently this new food resource elevates the sea otter population to a higher and more stable equilibrium.

Journal of Animal Ecology↗

USGS1990

The geology of selected peat-forming environments in temperate and tropical latitudes

We studied peat in several geologic and climatic settings: (1) a glaciated terrain in cold-temperate Maine and Minnesota, U.S.A.; (2) an island in a temperate maritime climate in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine, U.S.A., where sea level is rising rapidly and changing the environment of peat accumulation; (3) swamps along the warm-temperate U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, where sea level has changed often, thus creating sites for accumulation; and (4) in a tropical climate along the coast of Sarawak, Malaysia, and the delta of the Batang Hari River, Sumatra, Indonesia (Figs. 1 and 2). With the exception of the deposits on the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, most of the deposits described are domed bogs in which peat accumulation continued above the surface of the surrounding soil. The bogs of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains have almost level surfaces. All domed bogs are not entirely ombrotrophic (watered only from precipitation); multidomed bogs that rise from irregular or hilly surfaces may be crossed by streams that supply water to the bogs. The geologic processes or organic sedimentation, namely terrestrialization and paludification, are similar in all peat deposits considered here. Differences in geomorphology affecting the quantity and that quality of peat that has ash contents of less than 25%, which are desirable for commercial purposes, depend chiefly on: (1) high humidity, which is favorable to luxuriant growth of peat-forming vegetation; (2) a depositional setting that permits extensive accumulation relatively free from inorganic contamination from sea water and streams and from dust and volcanic ash; and (3) a stable regional water table that controls the rate of decomposition under aerobic conditions and protects the deposit against the ravages of fire. Differences in peat textures are due to the type of vegetation and to the degree of decomposition. The rate of decomposition is largely the result of the amount of oxidation and aerobic microbial activity. Stratigraphic distribution of various textures and amounts of inorganic components within a peat deposit is largely determined by the vertical positions occupied by peat-forming environments, such as pond, marsh, swamp and heath where vegetation accumulated, and the depth to zones of unoxygenated water. Peat also differs in the rate of accumulation. On the basis of carbon-14 dating, an estimated 8 m of peat in the tropical Batang Hari River deposit in Sumatra has been accumulating at the rate of about 1.5 m/1,000 yr, whereas peat in the cold-temperate deposit in Maine has been accumulating at the rate of 0.66 m/1,000 yr. Accumulation rates in domed deposits such as these are affected not only by factors controlling volume of biomass and aerobic decay but also by stream erosion and fires that remove peat. Such disconformities (see Fig. 2) within the deposit may be recognized by sudden vertical changes in degree of decomposition and/or the presence of charcoal. The trace-element content of peat deposits is affected by the environments of their settings. Samples of peat that have an ash content of less than 25% dry weight and that are from small, almost level swamp deposits along the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina were compared with similar samples from small domed bogs in Maine, a glaciated area. Samples from Nort Carolina, which are from deposits in thick fluvial and nearshore marine sediments far from the bedrock source, are generally higher in Ti, Cr and Pb. The Maine samples from deposits in glacial drift close to the bedrock source contain more Zn, Mn, P, Ca, Na and Fe. The kind and amount of trace elements within the deposits appear to relate largely to depositional setting, to kinds of bedrock source, and to the modes of transportation from source to peat swamp. Trace-element concentrations in the extensive Sumatra peat deposit, which represents a potentially commercial coal bed, are similar to those found in Appalachian coals except for As and Au, which are higher in the former. This similarity most likely implies that geochemical controls on mineral matter controlled the concentrations in both. Most peat deposits found in the world today are not precursors of economic coal beds because they are too local in extent, lack beds of commercial-quality peat greater than 6 m thick, and/or are too far from sea level to be rapidly by marine or marginal marine sediments before destruction by erosion and decomposition. However, the two domed deposits in Sarawak and Sumatra described above are parts of extensive, thick, low-sulfur, fuel-quality peat deposits, which have bases below the levels of rivers on coastal deltas. These are likely to be preserved in their lower part and to become precursors of tropical coal seams of potential economic importance. The lenticular and tabular peat deposits of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, which have little chance of survival, have features resembling those in Tertiary peat deposits in alluvial settings of western North America. The quality, shape, and extent of modern and ancient peat deposits are controlled by the same factors - humidity, vegetation type, ground- and surface-water regimes, and physiographic and geologic setting. Thus, a study of modern peat deposits may help in studies of the areal distribution and the thickness and quality of ancient coal beds.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗

USGS1999

Chronologic model and transgressive-regressive signatures in the late neocene siliciclastic foundation (long key formation) of the Florida keys

Recent drilling of continuous cores in southernmost Florida has documented a thick unit of upper Neogene siliciclastics subjacent to surficial shallow-water Quaternary carbonates exposed on islands of the Florida Keys. The siliciclastics comprise the Long Key Formation and were identified in two cores collected from the middle and upper Florida Keys. A chronologic model based on new planktic foraminiferal biochronology and strontium-isotope chronology suggests the timing of siliciclastic deposition and provides a basis for regional correlation. The chronologic model, supplemented by vertical trends in quartz grain size, pattern of planktic menardiiform coiling direction, and paleoenvironmental interpretations of benthic foraminiferal assemblages, shows that the Long Key Formation contains three intervals (I-III) of varying thickness, grain-size composition, and paleowater depth. Interval I is uppermost Miocene. The quartz grains in Interval I fine upward from basal very coarse sand to fine and very fine sand. Benthic foraminifera indicate an upward shift from an outer-shelf to inner-shelf depositional environment. Interval II, deposited during the late early to early late Pliocene, contains reworked upper Miocene siliciclastics and faunas. In the upper Keys, quartz grains in Interval II range from very coarse sand that fines upward to very fine sand and then coarsens to very coarse and medium sand. In situ benthic faunas indicate an upward shift from outer-shelf to inner-shelf deposition. In the middle Keys, Interval II is different, with the quartz grains ranging primarily from medium to very fine sand. In situ benthic taxa indicate deposition on an inner shelf. In both the middle and upper Keys, the upper Pliocene siliciclastics of Interval III contain quartz grains ranging from very coarse to very fine sands that were deposited on an inner shelf. A sequence boundary between Interval I and Interval II is suggested by; an abrupt shift in the strontium-isotope chemostratigraphy; coarsening in quartz grain size above the boundary; an abrupt landward shift in depositional facies in the upper Keys core; and a distinct variation in the predominant coiling direction of the menardiiform planktic foraminifera, from fluctuating dextral-sinistral to dextral in the upper Keys core. Successive siliciclastic infilling, likely associated with eustatic sea-level change and current redeposition, formed a foundation for subsequent carbonate deposition. Deep-sea biostratigraphic techniques, integrated with ages derived from strontium-isotope chemostratigraphy, can be successfully applied to coastal-margin sequences, even though a depauperate suite of faunal markers is common.

Journal of Sedimentary Research↗

USGS2003

Evolution of CAM and C 4 carbon-concentrating mechanisms

Mechanisms for concentrating carbon around the Rubisco enzyme, which drives the carbon-reducing steps in photosynthesis, are widespread in plants; in vascular plants they are known as crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and C 4 photosynthesis. CAM is common in desert succulents, tropical epiphytes, and aquatic plants and is characterized by nighttime fixation of CO2. The proximal selective factor driving the evolution of this CO2-concentrating pathway is low daytime CO2, which results from the unusual reverse stomatal behavior of terrestrial CAM species or from patterns of ambient CO2 availability for aquatic CAM species. In terrestrials the ultimate selective factor is water stress that has selected for increased water use efficiency. In aquatics the ultimate selective factor is diel fluctuations in CO2 availability for palustrine species and extreme oligotrophic conditions for lacustrine species. C4 photosynthesis is based on similar biochemistry but carboxylation steps are spatially separated in the leaf rather than temporally as in CAM. This biochemical pathway is most commonly associated with a specialized leaf anatomy known as Kranz anatomy; however, there are exceptions. The ultimate selective factor driving the evolution of this pathway is excessively high photorespiration that inhibits normal C3 photosynthesis under high light and high temperature in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. CAM is an ancient pathway that likely has been present since the Paleozoic era in aquatic species from shallow-water palustrine habitats. While atmospheric CO2 levels have undoubtedly affected the evolution of terrestrial plant carbon-concentrating mechanisms, there is reason to believe that past atmospheric changes have not played as important a selective role in the aquatic milieu since palustrine habitats today are not generally carbon sinks, and the selective factors driving aquatic CAM are autogenic. Terrestrial CAM, in contrast, is of increasing selective value under extreme water deficits, and undoubtedly, high Mesozoic CO2 levels reduced the amount of landscape perceived by plants as water limited. Late Tertiary and Quaternary reductions in atmospheric CO2, coupled with increasing seasonality, were probably times of substantial species radiation and ecological expansion for CAM plants. C4 photosynthesis occurs in only about half as many families as CAM, and three-fourths of C4 species are either grasses or sedges. Molecular phylogenies indicate C4 is a more recent innovation than CAM and that it originated in the mid-Tertiary, 20–30 Ma, although some data support an earlier origin. While the timing of the origin of C4 remains controversial, the nearly explosive increase in C4 species is clearly documented in the late Miocene, 4–7 Ma. Increasing seasonality has been widely suggested as an important climatic stimulus for this C4 expansion. Alternatively, based on models of photosynthetic quantum yield at different temperatures and CO2 concentration, it has been hypothesized that the late Miocene C4 expansion resulted from declining atmospheric CO2 levels. This model is most appropriate for explaining the transition from C3 grasslands to C4 grasslands but by itself may not be sufficient to explain the more likely scenario of a late Miocene transition from C3 woodland/ savanna to C4 grasslands. A largely unexplored hypothesis is that climatic changes in late Miocene altered disturbance regimes, in particular the incidence of fires, which today are often associated with maintenance of C4 grasslands. Oceanic charcoal sediments that appear to represent Aeolian deposits from continental wildfires follow a strikingly similar pattern of explosive increase in late Miocene. Climate, CO2, and disturbance are not mutually exclusive explanations and probably all acted in concert to promote the expansion of C4 grasslands. More recently, late Quaternary changes in CO2 may have been responsible for driving major changes in the landscape distribution of C4 species. The theory is sound; however, many of the studies cited in support of this model are open to alternative interpretations, and none has eliminated climatic factors as important selective agents. CAM and C4 evolution required coupling of biochemical pathways with structural changes in photosynthetic tissues, succulence in CAM and Kranz in C4. This was apparently accomplished by piecemeal evolution beginning with mechanisms for recapturing respiratory CO2, although this need not have been so in aquatic CAM species. It has been proposed that the extreme rarity of both pathways in the same plant results from biochemical and structural incompatibilities (Sage 2002). Equally important is the fact that the selective environments are quite different, with CAM evolution thriving on stressful sites inhospitable to C3 species whereas C4 evolution has selected for rapid growth capable of outcompeting associated C3 plants.

International Journal of Plant Sciences↗

USGS1979

Effects of karst and geologic structure on the circulation of water and permeability in carbonate aquifers

The results of the natural processes caused by solution and leaching of limestone, dolomite, gypsum, salt and other soluble rocks, is known as karst. Development of karst is commonly known as karstification, which may have a pronounced effect on the topography, hydrology and environment, especially where such karst features as sinkholes and vertical solution shafts extend below the land surface and intersect lateral solution passages, cavities, caverns and other karst features in carbonate rocks. Karst features may be divided into two groups: (1) surficial features that do not extend far below the surface; and (2) karst features such as sinkholes that extend below the surface and affect the circulation of water below. The permeability of the most productive carbonate aquifers is due chiefly to enlargement of fractures and other openings by circulation of water. Important controlling factors responsible for the development of karst and permeability in carbonate aquifers include: (1) climate, topography, and presence of soluble rocks; (2) geologic structure; (3) nature of underground circulation; and (4) base level. Another important factor is the condition of the surface of the carbonate rocks at the time they are exposed to meteoric water. A carbonate rock surface, with soil or relatively permeable, less soluble cover, is more favorable for initiation of karstification and solution than bare rocks. Water percolates downward through the cover to the underlying carbonate rocks instead of running off on the surface. Also, the water becomes more corrosive as it percolates through the permeable cover to the underlying carbonate rocks. Where there is no cover or the cover has been removed, the carbonate rocks become case hardened and resistant to erosion. However, in regions underlain not only by carbonate rocks but also by beds of anhydrite, gypsum and salt, such as the Hueco Plateau in southeastern New Mexico, subsurface solution may occur where water without natural acids moves down from bare rock surfaces through cracks to the beds that are more soluble than carbonate rocks. For example, in the area of Carlsbad Caverns in southeastern New Mexico, much of the water responsible for solution that formed the caverns apparently entered the groundwater system through large open fractures and did not form sinkhole topography. East of the Carlsbad Caverns, however, in the Pecos River Valley where the carbonate rocks are overlain by the less soluble Ogallala Formation of Late Tertiary age, solution began along escarpments as the Pecos River and its tributaries cut through the less soluble cover. As these escarpments retreated, sinkholes and other karst features developed. Joints or fractures are essential for initiation of downward percolation of water in compact carbonate rocks such as some Paleozoic limestone in which there is no intergranular permeability. Also joints or fractures and bedding planes may be essential in the initiation of lateral movement of water in the zone of saturation. Where conditions of recharge and discharge are favorable, groundwater may move parallel to the dip. However, the direction of movement of water in most carbonate rocks is not necessarily down dip or parallel to the dip. The general direction of movement of both surface and groundwater may be parallel to the strike in a breached anticline. Faults may restrict the lateral movement of water, especially if water-bearing beds are faulted against relatively impervious beds. Conversely, some fault may serve as avenues through which water may move as, for example, in the Cretaceous Edwards aquifer in the San Antonio area, Texas. Karst aquifers, chiefly carbonate rocks, may be placed in three groups according to water-bearing capacity. Water in aquifers of group 1 occurs chiefly in joints, fractures, and other openings that have not been enlarged by solution. The yield of wells is small. Aquifers in group 2 , with low to intermediate yields, are those in which water occurs in joints and fractures with some cavities and channels enlarged by solution. Aquifers in group 3 are those in which the yield of wells and springs range from intermediate to very large. This group includes five of the most productive aquifers in the U.S.A. The water-bearing beds of all of these productive aquifers, except the Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida, contain buried paleokarst in which the permeability has been reactivated and enlarged by the present circulation system.

Journal of Hydrology↗