Local Spring Research Articles

Geologic carbon sources may confound ecosystem carbon balance estimates: Evidence from a semiarid steppe in the southeast of Spain

At a semiarid steppe site located in the SE of Spain, relatively large CO2 emissions were measured that could not be attributed to the ecosystem activity alone. Since the study site was located in a tectonically active area, it was hypothesized that a part of the measured CO2 was of geologic origin. This investigation included a survey of soil CO2 efflux, together with carbon isotope analyses of the CO2 in the soil atmosphere, soil CO2 efflux (i.e., Keeling plots), groundwater and local thermal springs. These measurements confirmed the hypothesis of degassing from geologic sources. In areas with local faults and ancient volcanic structures, soil CO2 efflux rates were significantly higher (i.e., up to 6.3 and 1.4 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) than measurements in a comparable site that was some distance from fault sites (means of 1.0 and 0.43 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 in March and June, respectively). The CO2 concentration in the soil atmosphere at the eddy covariance site reached 0.14% v/v at 0.70 m soil depth with a 13C‐enriched isotopic composition (δ13C from −10.2‰ to −16.6‰), consistent with the isotopic composition of the soil CO2 efflux estimated by Keeling plots (i.e., −16.6‰). 13C‐enriched CO2 also occurred in local aquifers, and there was evidence of degassing from deep crust and mantle at regional scale by the helium isotopic ratio in spring waters located about 30 km (R/Ra: 0.12) and 200 km (R/Ra: 0.95) NW of the eddy covariance site. This study highlights the importance of considering CO2 sources of geologic origin when assessing the net ecosystem carbon balance of sites that may possibly be affected by circulation of such CO2‐rich fluids.

Locations of thin liquid water layers on present-day Mars

CRISM indicates the presence of water ice patches in Richardson crater, located on Mars’ southern polar region at the area of the seasonal ice cap. Numerical simulations suggest that the maximum daytime temperature of the ice at these locations is between 195 and 220K during local spring. Previous studies suggest that at these temperatures liquid interfacial water could be present. Here, for the first time, we provide an example where the environmental conditions allow for the formation of such liquid films on present day Mars at the southern hemisphere. The upper bound estimated H2O loss during the presence of these water ice patches is approximately 30μm between Ls=200 and 220, though it may be as low as 0.1μm depending on the ambient water vapor. The upper bound value is larger than the expected condensation thickness in autumn; however, it may still be realistic due to CO2 gas jet generated deposition and possible subsequent accumulation on mineral grains. The presence of this interfacial water may have impact on local chemical processes along with astrobiological importance.

Climatic Characterization and Response of Water Resources to Climate Change in Limestone Areas: Considerations on the Importance of Geological Setting

AbstractThis work analyzes the response of springs fed by karst/fractured limestone aquifers, which extensively outcrop in central Italy, to climatic variations. In the central Italy area, climatic variations are represented by a general decrease in annual and winter precipitation. It is shown how groundwater regime, the discharge of springs, and their response to climate change depend to a great extent on the geologic and structural setting of the system. Some mountain springs of central Italy are local systems representing the overflow of a deeper regional flow feeding larger base springs, often of poor quality. A dynamic groundwater divide separates the recharge areas of base springs from those of local springs: if, due to low recharge, the piezometric surface lowers, the watershed moves toward systems located at higher altitudes, reducing their recharge areas. Therefore, local springs connected to a base flow are more vulnerable to climate change than those which are not. The Bagnara and Lupa springs,...

ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF A THERMOSTABLE AMYLASE-PRODUCING BACTERIUM FROM HATUASA HOTSPRING

Hot springs are a common source of thermophyles which produce thermostable enzymes. The objective of this study was to isolate and identify thermostable amylase-producing bacteria from a local geothermal spring. An amylase–producing bacterium strain was isolated from this hot spring which excreted amylase after being grown on starch agar screening plates at 37 °C. It was identified as Bacillus megat e rium using the method of 16S ribosomal DNA. The organism is a rod-shape and is a spore-forming bacterium. Maximum amylase production was achieved after incubation in the production media for 72 hours. Preliminary analysis of the secreted amylase showed that the enzyme could bind to DEAE-Sepharose matrix and was discharged by eluting with 0.5 M NaCl. The partially purified enzyme was stable up to 75 °C, showing that this enzyme might have potential application in the starch-processing industry.

The role of species’ ecological traits in climatically driven altitudinal range shifts of central European birds

Climate change is one of the most important recent forces modulating the structure of ecological communities worldwide. Although a number of studies have documented climatically induced altitudinal range shifts, with species move upwards with increasing temperature and tracking their climatic optima, an examination of interspecific variability in such altitudinal shifts remains unexplored. Using a unique dataset on the altitudinal distribution of birds in a central European mountain range, collected with constant effort and methodology over more than 20 years, we examined the effects of particular species’ ecological traits on interspecific variability in altitudinal range shifts. We predicted that shifts would be greater in species with narrower European climatic niches, breeding in open habitats, feeding on insects and originally breeding at lower altitudes. Patterns of the shifts differed within the time period studied. In the first decade, no climate change was observed and species did not show any direction in their altitudinal shifts. In the second decade, local spring temperatures increased and species moved to higher altitudes. These altitudinal shifts were related to species’ habitat preferences, with open habitat species shifting to higher altitudes than forest species. The effect of other predictors was relatively small. The habitat effects imply either stronger self‐regulation of the forest microclimate compared to open habitats, with forest species less forced to move upwards, or a delayed shift in the alpine timberline due to the slow growth of trees. In the latter case, forest species would face unfavourable climatic conditions and at the same time be constrained by the limited distribution of their habitat. Our study shows that species’ ecology can considerably alter the actual outcome of the impacts of ongoing climate change in mountain areas.

Calcifying coral abundance near low-pH springs: implications for future ocean acidification

Rising atmospheric CO2 and its equilibration with surface ocean seawater is lowering both the pH and carbonate saturation state (Ω) of the oceans. Numerous calcifying organisms, including reef-building corals, may be severely impacted by declining aragonite and calcite saturation, but the fate of coral reef ecosystems in response to ocean acidification remains largely unexplored. Naturally low saturation (Ω ~ 0.5) low pH (6.70–7.30) groundwater has been discharging for millennia at localized submarine springs (called “ojos”) at Puerto Morelos, México near the Mesoamerican Reef. This ecosystem provides insights into potential long term responses of coral ecosystems to low saturation conditions. In-situ chemical and biological data indicate that both coral species richness and coral colony size decline with increasing proximity to low-saturation, low-pH waters at the ojo centers. Only three scleractinian coral species (Porites astreoides, Porites divaricata, and Siderastrea radians) occur in undersaturated waters at all ojos examined. Because these three species are rarely major contributors to Caribbean reef framework, these data may indicate that today’s more complex frame-building species may be replaced by smaller, possibly patchy, colonies of only a few species along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The growth of these scleractinian coral species at undersaturated conditions illustrates that the response to ocean acidification is likely to vary across species and environments; thus, our data emphasize the need to better understand the mechanisms of calcification to more accurately predict future impacts of ocean acidification.

Walking the Path of Environmental Buddhism through Compassion and Emptiness

I was born into a Drokpa (Tibetan nomad) family and spent the first years of my life in the wild eastern part of Tibet. We traveled with our animals from summer to winter grounds, setting up our yak-hair tents at each site. It was a simple existence and my daily joy consisted of exploring the nearby mountains with my pet goat. If I was lucky, I would see wild animals such as nawa (Tibetan argali, Ovis ammon hodgsoni) and shaba (white-lipped deer, Przewalskium albirostris) at close range. Sometimes, I would watch herds of kiang (Tibetan wild ass, Equus kiang) running across the grasslands. When I was 4 or 5 years old, there was a severe drought and the local spring in our camp began to dry up. Because I was considered an unusual child (although at that time, nobody knew I would later be recognized as the 17th Karmapa), our community requested my father ask me to plant a sapling at the source of the spring. I remember leading prayers with the aspiration that this tree would help provide water for all living beings nearby. Although I had no idea that what I was doing was an “environmental” act, or what watershed meant, my love for nature and dedication to protect the environment sprouted from this seed. As I grew up and began studying Buddhist philosophy and teachings, I discovered great harmony between Buddhism and the environmental movement. The emphasis on biological diversity, including ecosystems—in particular, the understanding that animate and inanimate beings are parts of a whole—resonates closely with Buddhism’s emphasis on interdependence. The essence of Buddhism lies in the union of compassion and emptiness: the deeply felt dedication to alleviate the suffering of all living beings and the understanding that everything is devoid of selfnature. These two halves of a philosophical whole speak particularly to the goals of the environmental movement. Let me explain what I mean. The most exalted example Buddhists use to explain compassion is motherhood. Consider all that your mother probably has done for you since the time you were conceived—carrying you for 9 months, experiencing the hardship of labor and birth, feeding and clothing you, taking care of all your needs, and worrying about you long after you reach adulthood. Most mothers never stop caring unconditionally for their children. Regardless of whether one believes in reincarnation or not, one can suppose that all living beings are like mothers to us. The food that appears in front of us at dinner was grown, packaged, and prepared by people we probably do not know. The clothes we are wearing were produced by people we probably will never meet. Yet we are benefiting from their hopes, dreams, and labor. Plants, animals, and raw materials have all been used to provide us these things. This is the interdependence that characterizes life—no one thing exists by itself alone, or can survive alone. We are all part of one world ecology and the world is extremely compassionate to us. Emptiness, in contrast, can be best explained by using the example of the self. What do we imagine when we think of the self? Exactly where does the self reside? Is it in the heart or the brain? In the incoming breath or the outgoing breath? In the movement of our limbs? In our interaction or relationship with others? The self differs greatly at ages 15 and 25. Because it is impermanent and intangible, the self is empty of any inherent self-nature. And, because this is so, our happiness, our sadness, our successes, and our failures are also empty by nature. This does not mean that we are nothing, but that we are constantly moving, absorbing, and shedding. Consequently, we need not experience great attachment to our experiences and can develop equanimity regarding all phenomena. To experience this freedom from the conviction of a self and the self-importance it creates means that we can dispense with the artificial distinction between self and other and can be part of all phenomena everywhere. How does this relate to the environment? According to Buddhism, ignorance of the empty nature of self and the rejection of compassion is the root cause of egotism, anger, attachment, and greed. Ignorance is why human beings have degraded the environment and are driving so many species to extinction. Ignorance causes us to place an excessive worth upon the self and anything related to it; my family, my possessions, my country, and even

A preliminary analysis of the formation of travertine and travertine cones in the Jifei hot spring, Yunnan, China

The Jifei hot spring emerges in the form of a spring group in the Tibet–Yunnan geothermal zone, southwest of Yunnan Province, China. The temperatures of spring waters range from 35 to 81°C and are mainly of HCO3–Na·Ca type. The total discharge of the hot spring is about 10 L/s. The spring is characterized by its huge travertine terrace with an area of about 4,000 m2 and as many as 18 travertine cones of different sizes. The tallest travertine cone is as high as 7.1 m. The travertine formation and evolution can be divided into three periods: travertine terrace deposition period, travertine cone formation period and death period. The hydrochemical characteristics of the Jifei hot spring was analyzed and compared with a local non-travertine hot spring and six other famous travertine springs. The results indicate that the necessary hydrochemical conditions of travertine and travertine cones deposition in the Jifei area are (1) high concentration of HCO3 − and CO2; (2) about 52.9% deep source CO2 with significantly high \( {\text{P}}_{{{\text{CO}}_{ 2} }} \) value; (3) very high milliequivalent percentage of HCO3 − (97.4%) with not very high milliequivalent percentage of Ca2+ (24.4%); and (4) a large saturation index of calcite and aragonite of the hot water.

Validation of operational ozone profiles from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument

[1] In this paper we present the validation results of the operational vertical ozone profiles retrieved from the nadir observations by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura platform. The operational ozone profile retrieval algorithm was developed at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute and the OMI mission data has been processed and made publicly available. Advantages of these nadir sounded ozone profiles are the excellent spatial resolution at nadir and daily global coverage while the vertical resolution is limited to 6–7 km. Comparisons with well-validated ozone profile recordings by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), both aboard the NASA EOS-Aura platform, provide an excellent opportunity for validation because of the large amount of collocations with OMI due to the instruments significant geographical overlap. In addition, comparisons with collocated ozone profiles from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE-II), the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE), the Global Ozone Monitoring by the Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) and the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System (OSIRIS) satellite instruments and balloon-borne electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes are presented. OMI stratospheric ozone profiles are found to agree within 20% with global correlative data except for both the polar regions during local spring. For ozone in the troposphere OMI shows a systematic positive bias versus the correlative data sets of order 60% in the tropics and 30% at midlatitude regions. The largest source of error in the tropospheric ozone profile is the fit to spectral stray light in the operational algorithm.

CADMIUM AND ARSENIC EXPOSURE FACTORS IN A POPULATION LIVING ON POLLUTED SOILS, CASSIOPÉE STUDY, AVEYRON, FRANCE, 2008

Background and Aims: The town of Viviez (south-west of France) experienced 150 years of industrial activity generating atmospheric emissions until 1987 and substantial soil pollution, in particular by cadmium and arsenic. A public health assessment was carried out in order to estimate the health impact of this pollution and to formulate recommendations. This assessment included an exposure study with the objective of identifying exposure factors that increase the cadmium and arsenic body burden. Methods: Adult residents of Viviez and Montbazens (an unexposed town) who did not have occupational exposure to pollutants were included. Urinary cadmium and arsenic were analyzed by multivariate regression taking into account individual factors (age, smoking…) and environmental factors. Statistical methods for analysis of censored data were used in order to take into account concentrations below detection limit. Results: In Viviez, 21.6% of adults exceeded 1 µg of cadmium/g.creatinine and 5% exceeded 2 µg/g.creatinine against 4% and 0% in Montbazens. After adjustment for individual factors, the geometric means of urinary cadmium and arsenic were higher in Viviez than in Montbazens. Contrary to Montbazens, some environmental factors in Viviez were associated with urinary cadmium (length of residence, consumption of local fruit and vegetables and animal products), and with urinary arsenic (recent consumption of local poultry, consumption of local well and spring water, low frequency of mopping the floor, frequency of gardening). Conclusions: Differences in mean concentrations between the exposed and the unexposed town and exposure factors associated with cadmium and arsenic body burden suggest an environmental exposure of Viviez population. Residents could be presently exposed by local food ingestion and by inhalation or ingestion of polluted dust and soils. They could also have been exposed in the past by inhalation of atmospheric emissions. Recommendations based on these results will be made to limit further exposure.

Compost of the Imagination

Compost of the Imagination Kass Fleisher (bio) The Smoking Horse: a Memoir in Pieces. Stephen Spotte. Excelsior Editions. http://www.sunypress.edu. 187 pages; cloth, $19.95. Stephen Spotte launches The Smoking Horse: A Memoir in Pieces with the ill fate of Larry, a guy he’d known growing up in the 1950s coal camps of West Virginia who, after the narrator himself has been tossed from boarding school, joined the Air Force to fly jets. Alas, Larry and some other West Virginia enlistees stationed in the Midwest “had come of age lacking a gene for depth perception, the evolutionary result of generations born and raised against the short vistas of mountainsides.” For our purposes, here’s the long story short: drunk, Larry and pals, doing 80 mph, hit a truck, and Larry is slashed by the windshield. “It had seemed so far away, that truck did, visible from the top of a gradual rise and moving across them at ninety degrees.” And we’re off, dispatched to the Spotte universe, a world that’s all about perception, the objects that may be closer than they appear—including people. It’s a world in which the ridiculous is so ridiculous, and so regrettable, that it requires no irony whatsoever. Just the facts, expressed in a beautiful, on-point prose style, will do. “Totaling a car and living to tell about it was a rite of passage.” ’Nuff said there. “Totaling a car and living to tell about it was a rite of passage.” Spotte undergoes his early rites in Mallory, a Faulkner-esque camp “twenty miles from Kentucky as measured in a straight line.” “Daddy” is a mining engineer and superintendent, so his family is doing slightly better than the miners indentured to the company store. What we get in this brief reminiscence of the camps is the element in which Spotte will spend his life: water. Kids are sent to a local spring daily for cooking and drinking water; well water is sulfurous. A nearby waterway in which nothing seems to live but “convoys of turds” and “toilet paper veils” is known as Shit Creek. Aside from water, young Spotte takes up an interest in writing that comes quickly into conflict with life, and an interest in science. “[M]y only qualifications for writing poetry were exceptional drinking capacity and an abiding and unsavory horniness, neither of which actually causes printed words to appear.” Finally he discovers that drinking can actually obstruct the execution of poetry and finds that for science, “[b]rief periods of heavy task-oriented thinking can culminate in results nearly proportionate with effort, unlike art in any form, which requires endless attention and can still leave you deeply empty.” Science has a coal-camp-specific, working-man’s appeal: “At the end of a hard day in the lab or in the field you went home, popped a beer, and flipped on the teevee like anyone else, but better not try this if you hoped to be an artist of any kind.” With this, our hero takes up biology, torturing spiders and identifying flora. The narrator doesn’t point out the obvious, which is that one can be both writer and scientist. “[M]y real love,” setting aside the requisite (for a guy in this day) obsession with Jack Kerouac, “was water and the things living in it.” Either way, scribbler or lab rat, the thesis of this pieced-out memoir is “[A]lthough the outside world is large and often unnerving, there’s no excuse for living small inside yourself.” No living small for this guy. The end of high school commences a few years of studying journalism and embarking on summers with manfriends, girlfriends, and mere drinking and swimming buddies on subsistence-level, Jersey shore debaucheries. His closest pals are Cap and Uncle Dirty, huge hearts with huge tolerances for alcohol and a high degree of comfort in brothels. All but bohemians themselves, they meet up with the real deal, Greenwich Villagers emptying out on weekends into Beach Haven, living “life on the drift,” some toting passed-around paperbacks of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Franz Kafka, and Hermann Hesse, with notes initialed in the margins...

Impact of phytoplankton community size on a linked global ocean optical and ecosystem model

We isolated the effect phytoplankton cell size has on varying remote sensing reflectance spectra (R rs(λ)) in the presence of optically active constituents by using optical and radiative transfer models linked in an offline diagnostic calculation to a global biogeochemical/ecosystem/circulation model with explicit phytoplankton size classes. Two case studies were carried out, each with several scenarios to isolate the effects of chlorophyll concentration, phytoplankton cell size, and size-varying phytoplankton absorption on R rs(λ). The goal of the study was to determine the relative contribution of phytoplankton cell size and chlorophyll to overall R rs(λ) and to understand where a standard band ratio algorithm (OC4) may under/overestimate chlorophyll due to R rs(λ) being significantly affected by phytoplankton size. Phytoplankton cell size was found to contribute secondarily to R rs(λ) variability and to amplify or dampen the seasonal cycle in R rs(λ), driven by chlorophyll. Size and chlorophyll were found to change in phase at low to mid-latitudes, but were anti-correlated or poorly correlated at high latitudes. Phytoplankton size effects increased model calculated R rs(443) in the subtropical ocean during local spring through early fall months in both hemispheres and decreased R rs(443) in the Northern Hemisphere high latitude regions during local summer to fall months. This study attempts to tease apart when/where variability about the OC4 relationship may be associated with cell size variability. The OC4 algorithm may underestimate [Chl] when the fraction of microplankton is elevated, which occurs in the model simulations during local spring/summer months at high latitudes in both hemispheres.

Relationship between the Number of Outpatient Visits for Hypotension in the Springtime in Japan, Extracted from Clinical Electronic Records, and Global Solar Radiation Levels

Hypotension is commonly reported in springtime when health changes, such as autonomic imbalance, are common and its symptoms may cause difficulties in daily activities. In this study, medical data from 101 outpatient clinic attendees (mean age 43.9 years; 16 males) making their first visit for hypotension symptoms, were compared with meteorological data from the clinic's location. The main symptom of hypotension was giddiness on standing. The most common coexisting conditions were gastrointestinal; e.g. gastro-oesophageal reflux disorder and irritable bowel syndrome. The 7-day moving average of total global solar radiation correlated significantly with the 7-day moving average of the number of patients with hypotension. Discriminant analysis revealed an increase in hypotension consultations in the total global solar radiation moving average range 11-19 MJ/m(2), consistent with the local spring season. Guidance--such as wearing compression stockings during springtime--may help to reduce the occurrence of clinical hypotension in susceptible patients.

Possible role of brines in the darkening and flow-like features on the Martian polar dunes based on HiRISE images

This work identifies and describes features of the changing seasonal frost-covered surface of Mars based on HiRISE images, and analyses the possibility that ephemeral liquid brine formation produces them. Because some of these dark features show flow-like appearance, and salts on Mars are present, liquid brines might be also present, possibly accounting for the changing droplet-like features on the Phoenix lander.We observed in-situ darkening and movement of dark features (or movement of the darkening front) on seasonal frost-covered polar dunes. Darkening and brightening may happen within several meters from each other during local spring. Darkening always starts from the bottom and moves up, while brightening progresses from top and moves toward the bottom between the small dune ripples. Brightening occurs during the springtime warming on time scales of several days close to the sites of darkening; therefore, dark material falling from the air, and refreezing of bright ice on it, does not adequately explain the observations. Interpreting the observations as brine-related melting or refreezing also poses problems, but because brine may engulf salt grains or ice blocks, phase changes here could be influenced by factors other than temperature values, and could produce the observations.Analysis of absolute albedo changes indicates that the flow-like features are the darkest at their lower frontal end, sometimes darker than the dark spot from which they originate. A bright halo (white collar) also forms around these spots, possibly due to refreezing. Inside the observed larger spots an outer gray area surrounds the central darkest cores, which is about 10cm lower than the surrounding bright CO2 ice. At those places, most or all of the CO2 ice deposited earlier has disappeared, and H2O ice is present. Observations of dark flow features moving on the top of this H2O rich layer suggest even if the flow features start as dry dune avalanches of rolling grains, their dark material heated by solar insolation is in contact with H2O ice and may produce brines.

Characterization of a New Thermoalkalophilic Xylanase-Producing Bacterial Strain Isolated from Cimanggu Hot Spring,West Java, Indonesia

Alkalophilic bacteria and their enzymes are important for industrial applications. Therefore, finding out new strains of alkalophilic bacteria from Indonesian microbial diversity is still required. In this study, a thermoalkalophilic bacterium was isolated from sediment of local hot spring, Cimanggu,West Java. The temperature of the spot was 60 °C and the pH was 8. The bacterium could live at pH 11 and temperature 55 °C, and produced xylanase that have optimal activity at alkaline pH 9 and high temperature 70 °C. Based on the analyses of 16S rRNA sequence similarity and biochemical characteristics, this strain was clustered into the same group of Bacillus halodurans species with 99% identity to Bacillus halodurans C-125. The isolate also showed other enzyme activities such as amylase, protease, and gelatinase, promising its potential use as an industrial enzymes producer.

Holocene Southern Ocean surface temperature variability west of the Antarctic Peninsula

The disintegration of ice shelves, reduced sea-ice and glacier extent, and shifting ecological zones observed around Antarctica highlight the impact of recent atmospheric and oceanic warming on the cryosphere. Observations and models suggest that oceanic and atmospheric temperature variations at Antarctica's margins affect global cryosphere stability, ocean circulation, sea levels and carbon cycling. In particular, recent climate changes on the Antarctic Peninsula have been dramatic, yet the Holocene climate variability of this region is largely unknown, limiting our ability to evaluate ongoing changes within the context of historical variability and underlying forcing mechanisms. Here we show that surface ocean temperatures at the continental margin of the western Antarctic Peninsula cooled by 3-4 °C over the past 12,000 years, tracking the Holocene decline of local (65° S) spring insolation. Our results, based on TEX(86) sea surface temperature (SST) proxy evidence from a marine sediment core, indicate the importance of regional summer duration as a driver of Antarctic seasonal sea-ice fluctuations. On millennial timescales, abrupt SST fluctuations of 2-4 °C coincide with globally recognized climate variability. Similarities between our SSTs, Southern Hemisphere westerly wind reconstructions and El Niño/Southern Oscillation variability indicate that present climate teleconnections between the tropical Pacific Ocean and the western Antarctic Peninsula strengthened late in the Holocene epoch. We conclude that during the Holocene, Southern Ocean temperatures at the western Antarctic Peninsula margin were tied to changes in the position of the westerlies, which have a critical role in global carbon cycling.

Identification of appropriate sample and culture method for isolation of new thermophilic bacteria from hot spring

The purpose of this study was to identify appropriate samples and culture techniques on the isolation of thermophiles from local hot spring. Samples obtained from hot spring were used to assess the effects of sample type (water, biomat and sediment) and culture technique (on site or in laboratory after shipping in thermo flask) on thermopiles isolation rate. Overall, isolation rates were higher from sediment and biomat than from water sample. Isolation of thermophiles also occurred better when culture in laboratory compared with on site culture technique. Results of this study suggest that optimal isolation rates of thermophiles from sediment sample are achieved by culturing the sample on nutrient agar or broth at high temperature. For samples that cannot be processed immediately, acceptable handling techniques include storage at refrigeration for up to 5 days, shipping on thermo flask also recommended. Key words: Thermophilic microorganisms, isolations, hot spring.

Spring migration characteristics of the House Martin, Delichon urbica (Aves: Hirundinidae) in Croatia: A response to climate change?

Many authors have discussed use of birds (and other organisms) as sensitive biomonitors for climate change. In this paper we investigate the long-term trends in first arrival dates of the long-distance migratory House Martin, Delichon urbica (Linneus, 1758), in north-western Croatia during the 28-year period. The aim of this paper is to identify possible relationship between arrival times and local spring air temperatures. Between 1981 and 2008 the House Martin arrived progressively earlier (5.9 days), probably in response to climate change. First arrival dates correlated significantly with increasing March-April mean temperatures. Correlation between mean spring air temperature and yearly temperatures were also statistically significant. Our results suggest that the arrival timing of the House Martin is influenced by spring air temperatures

Two new genera and four new species of freshwater cochliopid gastropods (Rissooidea) from northeastern Mexico

We describe four new species of cochliopid snails from thermal springs in northeastern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango States). Two of these are placed in Pseudotryonia and represent the first Mexican records for this genus. They are diagnosed by unique or unique combinations of shell and anatomical characters, are well differentiated genetically from both each other and other congeners (mtCOI sequence divergence ≥2.0%) and were resolved as sister species within the Pseudotryonia clade in our molecular phylogenetic analyses. The other two species resemble Ipnobius, Pseudotryonia and Tryonia in having a thin, narrow shell, penis ornamented with a small number of glandular papillae and ovoviviparous reproductive mode, but are well differentiated (from these and each other) by other morphological/anatomical characters and mtCOI sequences (8.6–12.5% and 5.2–12.1% divergence, respectively) and consequently are placed in new monotypic genera (Chorrobius and Minckleyella). Chorrobius and Minckleyella formed a clade with Ipnobius, Mexipyrgus and Tryonia in all of our molecular phylogenetic analyses. Chorrobius was consistently delineated as a divergent lineage within this clade, but its relationships were otherwise unresolved. Minckleyella was nested within Tryonia in most of the trees and was sister to this genus in the others; despite this finding we erected a new genus for this snail because of its highly distinctive anatomical features and large genetic divergence relative to Tryonia (5.2 ± 0.6%). Each of the four new species is endemic to highly disturbed single springs or local spring systems and may require protection.

Controls on fluid flow in transpressive orogens, Taiwan and New Zealand

Abstract Taiwan and the Southern Alps of New Zealand are both young transpressive orogens characterized by rapid uplift and exhumation, high heat flow and vigorous surface processes. However, the distribution of heat flow, hot springs and veins in the two orogens is different. Taiwan has higher heat flow, distributed hot springs and localized veining. The Southern Alps has a narrow heat-flow anomaly, localized warm springs and widespread veining. Both orogens have two fluid-flow systems centred about the drainage divide. Shallow topographically driven meteoric water is restricted to the top 2–4 km. Deep flow is dominated by mineralizing rock-exchanged fluids. Extensional deformation occurs in the divide region of both orogens. At depth, vertical stretching produces subhorizontal veins. At shallower levels, stretching is horizontal and veins are steep. Veins in Taiwan are rare with zones of intense veining where flow has been localized into one site during exhumation from metamorphic to near-surface conditions. Fracturing and veining of the initially weak Slate Belt rocks causes a rheological change, increasing the tensile strength and making it more prone to fracturing, thus focusing fluid flow into the same locale. More uniform rheology in the Southern Alps leads to distributed veining.