Warm-water Springs Research Articles

222Rn Activity Concentration Measurement and its Radiological Risks in the Environment of Barserin Village, Erbil-Iraq

222Rn Activity Concentration Measurement and its Radiological Risks in the Environment of Barserin Village, Erbil-Iraq

Radon activity concentrations in Jale and Mersaid warm water springs in Koya District, Kurdistan Region-Iraq

In this study, the activity concentrations of radon gas C(222Rn) in the water of Jale and Mersaid springs were measured by using an HPGe spectrometer. The average C(222Rn) in the main Mersaid spring (T≈ 33 °C) and Jale warm outlet (T≈ 36 °C) was 24.10 ± 0.50 and 30.11 ± 0.67 Bq L−1, respectively. In the left cold outlet (T≈ 25 °C) and right cold outlet (T≈ 24 °C) of Jale spring, the average C(222Rn) was about 21.04 ± 0.52 and 19.04 ± 0.55 Bq L−1, respectively. The C(222Rn)/C(226Ra) ratio was 100. Results showed that a substantial amount of 222Rn might have been lost as water flowed to the surface.

A Survey of Water Sources for Households around the Yankari Game Reserve, Nigeria

In the second half of the 20th century, the decline in rainfall from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s caused a 25–35km shift southward in the West African savannah ecological zones, resulting inwater stress experienced in this region.Further compoundingthe water stress is other factors such asthe extent to which the water is potable and accessible. Theseconditions are worse,particularly,in rural communities in northern Nigeria. This study surveys thesources of water supply for households around the Yankari Game Reserve, Nigeria (Yankari). A field survey, (using focus group discussions and uestionnaire survey of 122 households were conducted in five local communities (Dagudi, Galen sanji, Jada, Yalo and Pali) in Yankari to explore sources and uses of water in the area. Major findings suggest that the Gaji River has the most potential as the main source of water for domestic uses and animal watering as reported by 75% of the households surveyed. It is also the main source of water for animals and plants in the park. Other sources of water with potentials include four warm water springs: Wikki, Dimmil, Gwana and Mawulgo springs. Tungan Naliki is the fifth spring and the onlycool spring in Yankari. The Wikki warm spring is the largest and only water spring that has been explored. However, the Yankari communities do not have immediate access to the Wikki spring neither do they have any tap water connection, Rather, they rely on hand dug wells, bore holes and direct rainfall collection during the rainy season but suffer adverse scarcity of water in the dry season. Nevertheless, the Gaji River and the Yankari water springs are potential sources of water for the surrounding local communities. The study recommends further studies on the quantity and quality of water from these sources.

Keep Burning Coal or the Manatee Gets It: Rendering the Carbon Economy Invisible through Endangered Species Protection

AbstractAs ever expanding accretions of human industrial and residential development pave over endangered Florida manatees’ warm water springs winter habitat, more than half of the manatees have come to depend upon fossil fuel‐burning power plant hot water effluent channels for survival. In an effort to save these manatees, environmental activists have leveraged the US Endangered Species Act to protect the effluent streams and, by extension, have enshrined the power plants themselves as ecological saviors. This study interrogates the paradoxes within the resulting spatio‐legal regime. Recognizing the problematic human/nature binary at the heart of dominant Western practices, our study suggests spatial and legal regimes do not simply reify and reproduce this binary but also produce invisible ecocultural spaces that are essential to prop up an inherently unstable, illusory, and ultimately destructive definition of human existence.

Legionella-protozoa-nematode interactions in aquatic biofilms and influence of Mip on Caenorhabditis elegans colonization

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaireś disease, is naturally found in aquatic habitats. The intracellular life cycle within protozoa pre-adapted the “accidental” human pathogen to also infect human professional phagocytes like alveolar macrophages. Previous studies employing the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that also nematodes might serve as a natural host for L. pneumophila. Here, we report for the first time from a natural co-habitation of L. pneumophila and environmental nematode species within biofilms of a warm water spring. In addition, we identified the protozoan species Oxytricha bifaria, Stylonychia mytilus, Ciliophrya sp. which have never been described as potential interaction partners of L. pneumophila before. Modeling and dissection of the Legionella-protozoa-nematode interaction revealed that C. elegans ruptures Legionella-infected amoebal cells and by this means incorporate the pathogen. Further infection studies revealed that the macrophage infectivity potentiator (Mip) protein of L. pneumophila, which is known to bind collagen IV during human lung infection, promotes the colonization of the intestinal tract of L4 larvae of C. elegans and negatively influences the life span of the worms. The Mip-negative L. pneumophila mutant exhibited a 32-fold reduced colonization rate of the nematodes after 48h when compared to the wild-type strain. Taken together, these studies suggest that nematodes may serve as natural hosts for L. pneumophila, promote their persistence and dissemination in the environment, and co-evolutionarily pre-adapt the pathogen for interactions with extracellular constituents of human lung tissue.

Continental carbonates as a hydrocarbon reservoir, an analog case study from the travertine of Saturnia, Italy

The Pleistocene Saturnia travertine (central Italy) represents a possible analog of the pre-salt continental carbonate reservoirs discovered in the Santos and other basins in the South Atlantic margin of Brazil. Two subhorizontal travertine tabular bodies, several tens of meters thick and extending over an area of (), have been studied in two quarries. Facies variations and associated petrophysical properties were reconstructed applying a multidisciplinary approach. The Saturnia travertine, formed from a warm water spring, is composed of various stacked carbonate banks, separated by subaerial erosive phases and paleosols. The lacustrine tabular bodies, terraces, and sills are made of crystalline crust, shrub, pisoid, paper-thin raft, coated bubble, reed, and lithoclast-breccia facies. The (from +4‰ to +8‰) supports an interpreted volcanic mantle source, whereas, the (from −9‰ to −5‰) is in agreement with warm meteoric waters. The ratio isotopic signature indicates a carbonate from dissolution of deep-seated carbonates. The facies reservoir properties were studied via porosity and permeability analysis of plugs, three-dimensional x-ray computer tomography, as well as image analysis on microscale under thin section and macroscale on large rock slabs to define various porosity indices. A strong heterogeneity of the petrophysical properties and variable connectivity were observed (porosity from 4% to 30% and permeability up to hundreds of md), but no compartmentalization of the carbonate bodies is present.

Numerical simulations to assess thermal potential at Tauranga low-temperature geothermal system, New Zealand

Tauranga low-temperature geothermal system (New Zealand) has been used for the last 40 years for direct uses including space heating, bathing and greenhouses. Warm-water springs in the area are between 22 and 39 °C, with well temperatures up to 67 °C at 750 m depth. A heat and fluid flow model of the system is used to determine reservoir properties and assess thermal potential. The model covers 130 km by 70 km to 2 km depth, and was calibrated against temperatures measured in 17 wells. Modelling shows that to maintain the observed primarily conductive heat flow regime, bulk permeability is ≤2.5 × 10−14 m2 in sedimentary cover and ≤1 × 10−16 m2 in the underlying volcanic rocks. The preferred model (R2 = 0.9) corresponds to thermal conductivities of 1.25 and 1.8 W/m2 for sedimentary and volcanic rocks, respectively, and maximum heat flux of 350 mW/m2. The total surface heat flow is 258 MW over 2,200 km2. Heat flux is highest under Tauranga City, which may be related to inferred geology. Model simulations give insights into rock properties and the dynamics of heat flow in this low-temperature geothermal system, and provide a basis to estimate the effects of extracting hot fluid.

Winter Habitat Preferences for Florida Manatees and Vulnerability to Cold

To survive cold winter periods most, if not all, Florida manatees rely on warm-water refuges in the southern two-thirds of the Florida peninsula. Most refuges are either warm-water discharges from power plant and natural springs, or passive thermal basins that temporarily trap relatively warm water for a week or more. Strong fidelity to one or more refuges has created four relatively discrete Florida manatee subpopulations. Using statewide winter counts of manatees from 1999 to 2011, we provide the first attempt to quantify the proportion of animals using the three principal refuge types (power plants, springs, and passive thermal basins) statewide and for each subpopulation. Statewide across all years, 48.5% of all manatees were counted at power plant outfalls, 17.5% at natural springs, and 34.9 % at passive thermal basins or sites with no known warm-water features. Atlantic Coast and Southwest Florida subpopulations comprised 82.2% of all manatees counted (45.6% and 36.6%, respectively) with each subpopulation relying principally on power plants (66.6% and 47.4%, respectively). The upper St. Johns River and Northwest Florida subpopulations comprised 17.8% of all manatees counted with almost all animals relying entirely on springs (99.2% and 88.6% of those subpopulations, respectively). A record high count of 5,076 manatees in January 2010 revealed minimum sizes for the four subpopulations of: 230 manatees in the upper St. Johns River; 2,548 on the Atlantic Coast; 645 in Northwest Florida; and 1,774 in Southwest Florida. Based on a comparison of carcass recovery locations for 713 manatees killed by cold stress between 1999 and 2011 and the distribution of known refuges, it appears that springs offer manatees the best protection against cold stress. Long-term survival of Florida manatees will require improved efforts to enhance and protect manatee access to and use of warm-water springs as power plant outfalls are shut down.

Tidal Cycle Effects on the Occurrence of the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) at the Port Everglades Power Plant

The seasonal distribution of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is influenced predominantly by feeding locations in the summer and proximity to warm-water refuges during colder months. Due to their limited ability to tolerate cold water, when water temperatures drop below 20°C manatees congregate around natural and artificial warm-water refuges, such as warm-water springs or power plant outfalls. Distribution may further be influenced by the tidal cycle through its impact on manatee movement and foraging. Although the importance of tide on manatee distribution and habitat selection has been acknowledged, it has yet to be studied quantitatively in respect to the manatee population in southeast Florida. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the tidal cycle on manatee occurrence at the Florida Power & Light (FPL) Port Everglades Power Plant. Walking surveys were conducted in Port Everglades during manatee season, November 15 – March 31, between 2004 and 2008. During the surveys, the number of manatees in four established locations was noted and the animals categorized based on size as either calf, juvenile, or adult. Water temperature data were also collected at four permanent sample locations. Because many surveys yielded zero manatees observed, data were analyzed using the zero-inflated negative binomial model. Although the manatees at the Port Everglades Power Plant must forage away from the warm-water refuge, my findings show no correlation between tidal state and total manatee occurrence at the FPL Port Everglades Power Plant. The results do, however, suggest that the probability of observing a cow/calf pair is greater during high tide when compared to low and mid-tides (P < 0.05). Total manatee occurrence and the presence of cow/calf pairs were both significantly correlated with water temperature (P < 0.05).

Glory from space

WeatherVolume 67, Issue 2 p. 41-41 Research Article Glory from space Kees Floor, Corresponding Author Kees Floor [email protected] De Bilt, The NetherlandsDe Bilt, The NetherlandsSearch for more papers by this author Kees Floor, Corresponding Author Kees Floor [email protected] De Bilt, The NetherlandsDe Bilt, The NetherlandsSearch for more papers by this author First published: 25 January 2012 https://doi.org/10.1002/wea.868Citations: 2Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume67, Issue2February 2012Pages 41-41 RelatedInformation

Genetic characterization of an unknown and endangered native population of the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cichlidae; Teleostei) in the Loboi Swamp (Kenya)

Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA polymorphism were studied in a number of natural populations of the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Cichlidae; Teleostei) from East Africa in order to determine the origin of a recently discovered population from a warm water spring, the Lake Bogoria Hotel Spring, an affluent of the Loboi Swamp. This population was initially considered to have been introduced from other sites within the region. Its significant and unique genetic variability (high microsatellite and mtDNA polymorphism, highly significant F st values and the presence of private alleles) indicate however that it is an entirely new and formerly unknown natural population that had escaped earlier studies of this species. This natural population, that represents a significant genetic resource, is threatened by extensive human encroachment of the Loboi Swamp.

INFLUENCE OF POWER PLANTS AND OTHER WARM-WATER REFUGES ON FLORIDA MANATEES

Because of limited tolerance to cold, most Florida manatees survive cold winter periods by aggregating at warm-water discharges from power plants and natural springs in central and northern Florida. Many power plants used by manatees may soon be retired. When this occurs, some people assume manatees will move to warmer areas in southern Florida; others fear they will stay near retired plants and sustain high levels of cold-related deaths causing a decline in abundance. To assess these possibilities, we examine warm-water habitats, population structure and movement, cold-related deaths, and information on possible historical manatee distribution. Winter water temperatures even in southernmost Florida periodically fall below manatee tolerance levels. To survive such periods, manatees use two types of warm-water refuges: warm-water discharges, and passive thermal basins that cool slowly, thereby temporarily retaining warm temperatures. During the coldest periods, perhaps 60% of all manatees use 10 power plants and 15% use four natural springs; most others use thermal basins in southern Florida. Site fidelity to these refuges appears to be the principal factor segregating manatees into at least four subpopulations. Since 1986, rates of cold-related deaths in southernmost Florida (10.0%) have exceeded those in areas with natural springs in central and northern Florida (8.8%). Our findings suggest that warm-water springs in northern Florida offer better winter habitat than thermal basins in southern Florida and are better able to support large numbers of manatees. Although evidence is scant, we suggest that manatees historically overwintered principally at northern springs, but that Pre-Columbian and European hunting restricted their winter range to southernmost Florida by the early 1900s. We also suggest that southernmost Florida may not be able to sustain a large influx of displaced of manatees in the absence of power plants, and that warm-water springs in northern Florida should be considered the most important source of natural warm-water habitat.

Florida Manatees, Warm-Water Refuges, and an Uncertain Future

Most Florida manatees depend on localized warm-water refuges in the southern two-thirds of Florida to survive winter; about 60% use outfalls from 10 power plants, whereas 15% use 4 natural warm-water springs. Future availability of these refuges is in doubt; most of these power plants may be retired within the next 20 years and groundwater withdrawals for human use threaten natural springs. This article examines possible effects on manatees from losing major warm-water refuges and alternative management actions. Because of manatee site-fidelity patterns, plant retirements may increase cold-stress-related deaths and significantly decrease manatee abundance. A forward-looking management strategy is urgently needed before decisions are made to retire plants now used by large numbers of manatees. Possible management alternatives include: gradually weaning manatees off plant outfalls, maintaining the flow of springs now used by manatees, enhancing access to suitable warm-water springs now little used or unused by manatees, constructing new non-industry dependent warm-water refuges, and creating new thermal basins to retain warm-water pockets able to support overwintering manatees.

Habitat Restoration as a Means of Controlling Non‐Native Fish in a Mojave Desert Oasis

Abstract Non‐native fish generally cause native fish decline, and once non‐natives are established, control or elimination is usually problematic. Because non‐native fish colonization has been greatest in anthropogenically altered habitats, restoring habitat similar to predisturbance conditions may offer a viable means of non‐native fish control. In this investigation we identified habitats favoring native over non‐native fish in a Mojave Desert oasis (Ash Meadows) and used this information to restore one of its major warm water spring systems (Kings Pool Spring). Prior to restoration, native fishes predominated in warm water (25–32°C) stream and spring‐pool habitat, whereas non‐natives predominated in cool water (≤23°C) spring‐pool and marsh/slack water habitat. Native Amargosa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis) and Ash Meadows speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus nevadensis) inhabited significantly faster mean water column velocities (MWCV) and greater total depth (TD) than non‐native Sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) and Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in warm water stream habitat, and Ash Meadows speckled dace inhabited significantly faster water than non‐natives in cool water stream habitat. Modification of the outflow of Kings Pool Spring from marsh to warm water stream, with MWCV, TD, and temperature favoring native fish, changed the fish composition from predominantly non‐native Sailfin molly and Mosquitofish to predominantly Ash Meadows pupfish. This result supports the hypothesis that restoring spring systems to a semblance of predisturbance conditions would promote recolonization of native fishes and deter non‐native fish invasion and proliferation.

鳴子火山・潟沼における水温・水質の形成機構

The Lake Katanuma in the Narugo Volcano, a crater lake with strong acid water influenced by volcanic activity, was surveyed to elucidate the heat flux in the lake and the formation mechanism of acid lake water. The results are to be made use of as basic data for the prediction of erruption and the prevention of disaster. The lake forms the ellipse of 462m E-W length and 326m N-S breadth, and forms 1,380m shore line. The surface area is 1.26×105m2, the maximum depth is 21.3m and the volume is 7.48×105m3.In the bottom of the Lake, there are some high temperature zones where warm water springs out. Those zones are situated in the deepest, the south and the northeast basins of the Lake. The ground temperature gradient in the south high temperature zone amounts to 0.245-0.391°C·cm-1.Volcanic gasses evolve out of the deepest portion, which forms some limited depression. The volcanic gas dissolves in under-ground water vein in the shallow part under the bottom and forms the acid water by means of auto redox reaction of H2SO3, and at the same time, supplies heat at a rate of 372×10-6cal·cm-2·s-1.

Biting Pattern and Host-Seeking Behavior of Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northeastern South Africa

Biting rhythm as well as vertical and horizontal distribution of host-seeking Anopheles arabiensis Patton was studied at a remote warm-water spring in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, which usually is devoid of human presence. An. arabiensis seeking hosts were collected throughout the night with several peaks, often with greatest biting activity during the predawn period. Abundance did not decline linearly as a function of distance from the breeding area, but was related to vegetation patterns. Most bites occurred on the ankles or feet and decreased rapidly above that height. Wearing closed shoes or raising feet off the ground could reduce vector contact and therefore the risk of malaria infection.

Clay materials from the Central Valley of Costa Rica and their possible ceramic uses

The clays of the region under investigation are of two principal origins: (1) sedimentary, and (2) residual. The residual clays derive from hydrothermal or lateritic transformation of volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The marine sedimentary clays appear in the NE part of the region investigated (Peralta area) and, with volcano-sedimentary types, in the area of Colón. Peralta clays contain carbonates and montmorillonite, those of Colón are illitic. Lacustrine clays are found in the old basin of Rio Grande, but show total hydrothermal transformation. The residual hydrothermal clays are very common and abundant as a consequence of the presence, still active, of many warm water springs related to the volcanic structure of the region. These clays are always rich in quartz, are generally kaolinitic, but also contain illite. The residual clays of lateritic transformation are equally rich in quartz, but the prevailing clay mineral is smectite. Amorphous phases are frequently present. From the industrial point of view kaolinitic and illitic hydrothermal clays are the most interesting as they can be used, with the addition of feldspathic volcanic rocks (Costa Rica does not produce feldspar), to make grès tiles. The volcano-sedimentary clays can be employed with limestone in the manufacturing of porous tiles.