Polar Bear and Mammoth on the Pribilof Islands

Museum specimens of polar bear from the Pribilof Islands include the skull of an individual shot on St. Paul, and fragmentary remains of uncertain geologic age from a lava cave in Bogoslof Hill, St. Paul, once thought to represent a distinct species. Mammoth remains have been discovered from time to time beginning in 1836, and are here regarded as in part valid evidence that the mammoth actually lived in the area. The literature pertaining to these species on the Pribilof Islands is reviewed.L’ours polaire et le mammoth dans les Pribilof.  (Au musée Smithsonian) Les spécimens d’ours polaire des îles de Pribilof comprenent le crâne d’un individu abattu sur l’île Saint-Paul, et des restes fragmentaires, d’âge géologique incertain, provenant d’une caverne dans les laves du mont Bogoslof, sur Saint-Paul, et qu’on a déjà cru représenter une espèce distincte.  On a découvert de temps à autre, depuis 1836, des restes de mammouth, et l’auteur les considère comme une preuve partielle valide que le mammouth a vraiment vécu dans la région.  On passe en revue les références pertinentes à ces deux espèces pour les Pribilof

The Status of Bootherium Brazosis

Abstract - The fossil musk ox Bootherium brazosis Hesse 1942 was distinguished as a species largely on the basis of spurious characters founded upon the misorientation of the type specimen. Correct orientation reveals that B. brazosis is conspecific with and a junior synonym of B. sargenti Gidley 1908.Texas Memorial Museu

200-BP-1 Prototype Hanford Barrier - 15 Years of Performance Monitoring

Engineered surface barriers are recognized as a remedial alternative to the removal, treatment and disposal of near-surface contaminants at a variety of waste sites within the DOE complex. One issue impacting their acceptance by stakeholders the use of limited data to predict long-term performance. In 1994, a 2-ha multi-component barrier was constructed over an existing waste disposal site at Hanford using natural materials. Monitoring has been almost continuous for the last 15 yrs and has focused on barrier stability, vegetative cover, plant and animal intrusion, and the components of the water balance, including precipitation, runoff, storage, drainage, and percolation. The total precipitation received from October 1994 through August 2008 was 3311 mm on the northern half (formerly irrigated), and 2638 mm on the southern, non-irrigated half. Water storage in the fine-soil layer shows a cyclic pattern, increasing in the winter and decreasing in the spring and summer to a lower limit of around 100 mm, regardless of precipitation, in response to evapotranspiration. Topographic surveys show the barrier and side slopes to be stable and the pea-gravel admix has proven effective in minimizing erosion through the creation of a desert pavement during deflationary periods. Three runoff events have been observed but the 600-mm design storage capacity has never been exceeded. Total percolation ranged from near zero amounts under the soil-covered plots to over 600 mm under the side slopes. The asphaltic concrete prevented any of this water from reaching the buried waste thereby eliminating the driving force for the contaminant remobilization. Plant surveys show a relatively high coverage of native plants still persists after the initial revegetation although the number of species decreased from 35 in 1994 to 10 in 2009. Ample evidence of insect and small mammal use suggests that the barrier is behaving like a recovering ecosystem. In September 2008, the north half of the barrier was burned to remove vegetation and study the effects of fire on barrier performance. The most immediate effects has been on water storage patterns with the bare surface showing a slower accumulation of water, a smaller peak storage and a delayed release relative to the unburned side due to evaporation . Nonetheless the residual storage at the end of the year was similar for the burned and unburned sides

Numerical Modeling of 90Sr and 137Cs Transport from a Spill in the B-Cell of the 324 Building, Hanford Site 300 Area

To characterize the extent of contamination under the 324 Building, a pit was excavated on the north side of the building in 2010 by Washington Closure Hanford LLC (WCH). Horizontal closed-end steel access pipes were installed under the foundation of the building from this pit and were used for measuring temperatures and exposure rates under the B-Cell. The deployed sensors measured elevated temperatures of up to 61 C (142 F) and exposure rates of up to 8,900 R/hr. WCH suspended deactivation of the facility because it recognized that building safety systems and additional characterization data might be needed for remediation of the contaminated material. The characterization work included additional field sampling, laboratory measurements, and numerical flow and transport modeling. Laboratory measurements of sediment physical, hydraulic, and geochemical properties were performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and others. Geochemical modeling and subsurface flow and transport modeling also were performed by PNNL to evaluate the possible extent of contamination in the unsaturated sand and gravel sediments underlying the building. Historical records suggest that the concentrated 137Cs- and 90Sr-bearing liquid wastes that were spilled in B-Cell were likely from a glass-waste repository testing program associated with the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Incomplete estimates of the aqueous chemical composition (no anion data provided) of the FRG waste solutions were entered into a geochemical speciation model and were charge balanced with nitrate to estimate waste composition. Additional geochemical modeling was performed to evaluate reactions of the waste stream with the concrete foundation of the building prior to the stream entering the subsurface

Third Quater Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2007

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The Hanford Seismic Assessment Team locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. For the Hanford Seismic Network, 16 local earthquakes were recorded during the third quarter of fiscal year 2007. The largest event (magnitude 2.0) occurred on April 16, 2007 and was located 4 km southwest of the 400 Area in the Columbia River basalts at a depth of approximately 3 km. Stratigraphically, 7 earthquakes occurred in the Columbia River basalts (approximately 0-5 km depth), 1 earthquake in the pre-basalt sediments (approximately 5-10 km depth), and 8 earthquakes in the crystalline basement (approximately 10-25 km depth). Geographically, 8 earthquakes occurred in swarm areas, and 8 earthquakes were classified as random events. The Hanford SMA network was triggered on the 300 Area and the 400 Area SMA by the 2.0 Mc seismic event that occurred on April 16, 2007. The maximum vertical acceleration was 0.07 % g and the maximum horizontal acceleration was 0.05% g at the 300 Area SMA, 13.5 km from the event. At the 400 Area SMA, only 5.2 km from the event, the maximum vertical acceleration was 0.25 % g and the maximum horizontal acceleration was 0.23% g. These are the first recordings of a small local earthquake on the SMA network. The reportable action level of 2% g for Hanford facilities is approximately 8 times larger than the peak accelerations observed at the 400 Area and no action was required

Fiscal Year 2006

This report summarizes the earthquake activity at the Hanford Site a vicinty that occurred during FY 200

Fiscal Year 2005

This reports on earthquakes recorded in the Hanford Seismic Network during Fiscal Year 2005

First Quarter Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2006

This report describes the earthquake data collected from October 2005 to December 2005 from the Hanford Seismic Networ

Differentiating Anti-Lamina Lucida and Anti-Sublamina Densa Anti-BMZ Antibodies by Indirect Immunofluorescence on 1.0 M Sodium Chloride-Separated Skin

L'immunofluorescence indirecte sur la peau séparée est une méthode fiable pour différencier les anticorps contre la lame transparente et les anticorps contre la sous-lame dense des maladies bulleuses et la différenciation entre les anticorps est essentielle pour un diagnostic exact chez certains malades. Les anticorps contre la lame transparente dans la pemphigoïde bulleuse peuvent présenter plusieurs spécificités

Fiscal Year 2008

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The HSAP is responsible for locating and identifying sources of seismic activity and monitoring changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the HSAP works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. During fiscal year 2008, the Hanford Seismic Network recorded 1431 triggers on the seismometer system, which included 112 seismic events in the southeast Washington area and an additional 422 regional and teleseismic events. There were 74 events determined to be local earthquakes relevant to the Hanford Site. The highest-magnitude event (3.7 Mc) occurred on May 18, 2008, and was located approximately 17 km east of Prosser at a depth of 20.5 km. With regard to the depth distribution, 13 earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), 45 earthquakes were located at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and 16 earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, 54 earthquakes were located in swarm areas and 20 earthquakes were classified as random events. The May 18 earthquake was the highest magnitude event recorded since 1975 in the vicinity of the Hanford Site (between 46 degrees and 47 degrees north latitude and 119 degrees and 120 degrees west longitude). The event was not reported as being felt on the Hanford Site or causing any damage and was communicated to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Operations Center per HSAP communi¬cations procedures. The event is not considered to be significant with regard to site safety and not unprecedented given the site’s seismic history. The Hanford strong motion accelerometer (SMA) stations at the 200 East Area, 300 Area, and 400 Area were triggered by the May 18 event. The maximum acceleration recorded at the SMA stations (0.17% at the 300 Area) was 12 times smaller than the reportable action level (2% g) for Hanford Site facilities