Assessing the impacts of ocean acidification, global warming and terrestrial runoff on the cross-shelf variability of coral calcification in the central Great Barrier Reef

Ocean acidification and thermal stress due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions present significant, potentially interacting, threats to the future of coral reefs. Coastal reef environments, as in the case of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), can also be exposed to terrestrial stressors. This thesis evaluates the combined effects of ocean acidification, rising temperatures and river inputs on the calcification of Porites corals along a transect across-shelf the central GBR, north of Townsville. Calcification rates were obtained for 41 long-lived Porites corals from 7 reefs, in an inshore to offshore transect across the central GBR. The boron isotope composition (d11B) of selected cores was used to reconstruct annual and sub-annual changes in seawater pH in inner-shelf and mid-shelf environments. These unique seawater pH records are integrated with sea-surface temperature, river discharge and rainfall records to assess the nature and cause of seasonal, interannual, decadal and long-term (̃50 years) trends in coral calcification. Significant across-shelf differences in the temporal variability and long-term evolution of coral calcification are documented and can be related to local and global-scale changes in environmental conditions and water quality. Corals in the mid-shelf and outer-reef regions of the GBR exhibit an increase in calcification of 10.9% (1.1% S.E.) and 11.1% (3.9% S.E.) respectively since ̃1950 which are associated to the rise in sea-surface temperatures. However, calcification rates of mid-shelf corals show a decline of 3.3% (0.9% S.E.) over the recent period (1990-2008). This may indicate that a thermal optimum for calcification has been reached. Calcification rates in inner-shelf reefs over 1930-2008 display a long term trend of decreasing calcification of 4.6% (1.3% S.E.). The interannual-decadal component of variation is modulated by wet and dry periods, particularly during the last ̃40 years. The negative effects of bleaching on coral growth are evident in inshore reefs, and are particularly strong during 1998, with a significant recovery occurring after 3 years. This translate to constant calcification rates of 1.1% (2.0% S.E.) for the inner-shelf reefs over 1990-2008. These results highlight the need to consider regional differences in environmental factors when assessing and predicting changes in the GBR. Sub-annual and annual variation in the d11B of inner-shelf corals record seasonal and interannual seawater pH changes of up to 0.5 pH units. This variability is overlain on a long-term decrease of 0.02 pH units per decade, consistent with estimates of surface seawater acidification due to rising atmosphere CO2 levels. Sub-annual low pH values occur in summer and partly reflect the effects of higher temperatures and increased calcification (a source of CO2). Higher d11B (pH) values are observed in wet years when nutrients supplied by river run-off promote extensive phytoplankton blooms that take up CO2 and increase seawater pH. Decreased calcification of inner-shelf corals during large flood events, despite higher pH conditions, may reflect increased shading, turbidity, sedimentation and/or competition for carbon. The complex interactions between processes that can affect coral calcification, particularly in coastal zones, need to be considered when predicting the future of coral reefs in warmer and more acidic oceans

Coral records of reef-water pH across the central Great Barrier Reef, Australia: assessing the influence of river runoff on inshore reefs

The boron isotopic (δ11Bcarb) compositions of long-lived Porites coral are used to reconstruct reef-water pH across the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and assess the impact of river runoff on inshore reefs. For the period from 1940 to 2009, corals fro

Cherenkov radiation by massless neutrinos

Due to their weak interactions, neutrinos can polarize a medium and acquire an induced charge. We consider the Cherenkov radiation emitted by neutrinos due to their effective electromagnetic interactions as they pass through a polarizable medium. The effect exists even for massless, chiral neutrinos, where no physics beyond the standard model needs to be assumed.Comment: 11 pages Latex file; to appear in Phys. Lett.

Oscillation tomografy study of Earth's composition and density with atmospheric neutrinos

Knowledge of the composition of the Earth's interior is highly relevant to many geophysical and geochemical problems. Neutrino oscillations are modified in a non-trivial way by the matter effects and can provide valuable and unique information not only on the density but also on the chemical and isotopic composition of the deep regions of the planet. In this paper, we re-examine the possibility of performing an oscillation tomography of the Earth with atmospheric neutrinos and antineutrinos to obtain information on the composition and density of the outer core and the mantle, complementary to that obtained by geophysical methods. Particular attention is paid to the D$^{\prime \prime}$ layer just above the core-mantle boundary and to the water (hydrogen) content in the mantle transition zone. Our analysis is based on a Monte-Carlo simulation of the energy and azimuthal angle distribution of $\mu$-like events generated by neutrinos. Taking as reference a model of the Earth consisting of 55 concentric layers with constant densities determined from the PREM, we evaluate the effect on the number of events due to changes in the composition and density of the outer core and the mantle. To examine the capacity of a detector like ORCA to resolve such variations, we construct regions in planes of two of these quantities where the statistical significance of the discrepancies between the reference and the modified Earth are less than $1\sigma$. The variations are implemented in such a way that the constraint imposed by both the total mass of the Earth and its moment of inertia are verified.Comment: Already published in the European Physical Journal

Earth tomography with atmospheric neutrino oscillations

The study of the flux of atmospheric neutrino crossing the Earth can provide useful information not only on the matter density of the different layers that make up the planet but also on their chemical composition. The key phenomenon that makes this possible is flavor oscillations and their dependence on the electron density along the neutrino baseline. To extract the relevant information, we simulate the energy and azimuth angle distribution of events produced in a generic neutrino telescope by atmospheric neutrinos passing through the deepest parts of the Earth. Changes in the densities of the outer core and the mantle are implemented by varying the location of the boundary between these layers so that the restrictions on the mass of and the moment of inertia of the Earth are both satisfied. This allows us to examine the effect of simultaneous changes in composition and density of the outer core, unlikely other works on the subject, where only one of these quantities was varied.Fil: D'Olivo, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares; MéxicoFil: Herrera Lara, José Arnulfo. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares; MéxicoFil: Romero, Ismael. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Sampayo, Oscar Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Zapata, Gabriel Damián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata; Argentin

DAMIC at SNOLAB

We introduce the fully-depleted charge-coupled device (CCD) as a particle detector. We demonstrate its low energy threshold operation, capable of detecting ionizing energy depositions in a single pixel down to 50 eVee. We present results of energy calibrations from 0.3 keVee to 60 keVee, showing that the CCD is a fully active detector with uniform energy response throughout the silicon target, good resolution (Fano ~0.16), and remarkable linear response to electron energy depositions. We show the capability of the CCD to localize the depth of particle interactions within the silicon target. We discuss the mode of operation and unique imaging capabilities of the CCD, and how they may be exploited to characterize and suppress backgrounds. We present the first results from the deployment of 250 um thick CCDs in SNOLAB, a prototype for the upcoming DAMIC100. DAMIC100 will have a target mass of 0.1 kg and should be able to directly test the CDMS-Si signal within a year of operation.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, proceedings prepared for 13th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP2013