Inverting nutrient fluxes across the land-water interface - Exploring the potential of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) farming

We studied the potential of zebra mussel farming for nutrient retention in a eutrophic lake. Duplicate experimental long-line cultivation units were deployed and mussel growth and nutrient retention were quantified after 28 months. Mussels grew well at shallow water depth (<3 m) and our 625 m(2) (lake area) experimental units produced 507 and 730 kg dry biomass, respectively, of which 94% were shells. These yields corresponded to an average retention of 92.7 +/- 23.1 kg C, 6.1 +/- 0.68 kg N, and 0.43 +/- 0.04 kg P retention, or 742 kg C, 49 kg N, and 3.5 kg P for a full-size (0.5 ha) mussel farm. We estimate that concentrating the long-lines to a depth of 2.5 m would probably have doubled these yields, based on the differences in mussel growth among depths. We further estimate that a full-size cultivation unit (0.5 ha) thus could compensate for the annual total-P run-off from 23 ha, or the biologically available P from approximately 49 ha of agricultural soils. As traditional measures have proven insufficient, decision-makers need to facilitate novel approaches to mitigate the negative effects of cultural eutrophication. We envision that zebra mussel farming, within their invaded range, provides a promising approach to invert nutrient losses in lakes and coastal lagoons

Reply to Comment on “The earthquakes of 29 July 2003, 12 February 2007, and 17 December 2009 in the region of Cape Saint Vincent (SW Iberia) and their relation with the 1755 Lisbon earthquake

Indeed, the Lisbon earthquake is a very unusual seismic event and an exception to the rule because most great tsunami-generating earth- quakes are related to well-defined subduction zones. The epicentral region, focal mechanism and the structures involved at the origin of this earthquake are still a matter of debate, with several models having been proposed (e.g. Baptista et al., 2003; Grandin et al., 2007a,b; Gutscher et al., 2006; Ribeiro et al., 2006; Vilanova et al., 2003; Zitellini et al., 2001)

Efeito da temperatura no comportamento reológico da poupa de manga

Foi determinado o efeito da temperatura no comportamento reol´ogico da polpade manga, variedade Keitt, na faixa de temperatura de 10oC a 60o C. A polpa integralfoi produzida em planta piloto e refinada em finisher com peneira de 1,6mm. As an´alisesreol´ogicas foram conduzidas em um re^ometro Haake Rotovisco RV-20 com geometria de cilindrosconc^entricos. O efeito da temperatura sobre os par^amentros reol´ogicos que representamo ´ındice de consist^encia (KM) foi ajustado usando-se a equa¸c~ao de Arrhenius: ln(KM) = A1+ B1/T. No caso do modelo de Mizrahi-Berk o ´ındice de comportamento (nM) foi ajustadopor uma fun¸c~ao do tipo: nM = A2 + B2 T

High Ice Water Content at Low Radar Reflectivity near Deep Convection

Occurrences of jet engine power loss and damage have been associated with flight through fully glaciated deep convection at -10 to -50 degrees Centigrade. Power loss events commonly occur during flight through radar reflectivity (Zeta (sub e)) less than 20-30 decibels relative to Zeta (dBZ - radar returns) and no more than moderate turbulence, often overlying moderate to heavy rain near the surface. During 2010-2012, Airbus carried out flight tests seeking to characterize the highest ice water content (IWC) in such low-radar-reflectivity regions of large, cold-topped storm systems in the vicinity of Cayenne, Darwin, and Santiago. Within the highest IWC regions encountered, at typical sampling elevations (circa 11 kilometers), the measured ice size distributions exhibit a notably narrow concentration of mass over area-equivalent diameters of 100-500 micrometers. Given substantial and poorly quantified measurement uncertainties, here we evaluate the consistency of the Airbus in situ measurements with ground-based profiling radar observations obtained under quasi-steady, heavy stratiform rain conditions in one of the Airbus-sampled locations. We find that profiler-observed radar reflectivities and mean Doppler velocities at Airbus sampling temperatures are generally consistent with those calculated from in situ size-distribution measurements. We also find that column simulations using the in situ size distributions as an upper boundary condition are generally consistent with observed profiles of radar reflectivity (Ze), mean Doppler velocity (MDV), and retrieved rain rate. The results of these consistency checks motivate an examination of the microphysical pathways that could be responsible for the observed size-distribution features in Ackerman et al. (2015)

Ethics, space, and somatic sensibilities: comparing relationships between scientific researchers and their human and animal experimental subjects

Drawing on geographies of affect and nature-society relations, we propose a radical rethinking of how scientists, social scientists, and regulatory agencies conceptualise human and animal participants in scientif ic research. The scientific rationale for using animal bodies to simulate what could be done in human bodies emphasises shared somatic capacities that generate comparable responses to clinical interventions. At the same time, regulatory guidelines and care practices stress the differences between human and animal subjects. In this paper we consider the implications of this differentiation between human and animal bodies in ethical and welfare protocols and practices. We show how the bioethical debates around the use of human subjects tend to focus on issues of consent and language, while recent work in animal welfare reflects an increasing focus on the affectual dimensions of ethical practice. We argue that this attention to the more-than-representational dimensions of ethics and welfare might be equally important for human subjects. We assert that paying attention to these somatic sensibilities can offer insights into how experimental environments can both facilitate and restrict the development of more care-full and response-able relations between researchers and their experimental subjects. <br/