Primary productivity and chemical composition of marine snow in surface waters of the Southern California Bight

The primary productivity of flocculent marine snow (fragile and amorphous macroscopic particulates) was measured for the first time using samples collected quantitatively in surface waters of the Southern California Bight…

ISSUES IN ANALYSIS OF A LONG-TERM INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT FIELD STUDY

A team of 14 scientists conducted a 6-year, 16-ha, integrated pest management field study in the dryland wheat production area of the Pacific Northwest. Objectives were to develop a profitable crop production system that controls weeds effectively and reduces soil erosion. Farm-size machinery was used to till, plant, and harvest crops grown in either a continuous wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sequence or a 3-year crop rotation of winter wheat-spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) -spring pea (Pisum sativum L.) in conservation and conventional tillage systems. Main plot factor levels were two tillage systems and three rotation positions of winter wheat. Subplot factor levels were three weed management levels . Issues in analysis oflong-term field studies are discussed. Multiple objectives and complexity of the design make analysis of these studies challenging. Results of one analysis of the data as a split plot analysis of variance averaged over years showed that conservation tillage systems for winter wheat met conservation compliance on highly erodible lands of the Pacific Northwest, reduced income risks, and lessened weather related fluctuations. Wheat yield was highest in the conservation tillage, 3-year crop rotation at maximum weed management level

Bathypelagic marine snow: Deep-sea algal and detrital community

Using the research submersible ALVIN, we have observed and collected marine• snow (fragile macroscopic aggregates), in two basins off Southern California. Marine snow was present throughout the water column, with several layers of higher concentrations in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones. We collected the first intact specimens from the deep sea at 1000 and 1650 m depths and examined these by light and electron microscopy...

Probing the Role of the Barrier Layer in Magnetic Tunnel Junction Transport

Magnetic tunnel junctions with a ferrimagnetic barrier layer have been studied to understand the role of the barrier layer in the tunneling process - a factor that has been largely overlooked until recently. Epitaxial oxide junctions of highly spin polarized La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 and Fe3O4 electrodes with magnetic NiMn2O4 (NMO) insulating barrier layers provide a magnetic tunnel junction system in which we can probe the effect of the barrier by comparing junction behavior above and below the Curie temperature of the barrier layer. When the barrier is paramagnetic, the spin polarized transport is dominated by interface scattering and surface spin waves; however, when the barrier is ferrimagnetic, spin flip scattering due to spin waves within the NMO barrier dominates the transport.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Hexavalent Chromium IV-Free Primer Development

Primer materials provide corrosion protection for metal parts as well as an increased adhesion between metallic substrates and thermal protection systems (TPSs). Current primers for use in cryogenic applications contain hexavalent chromium. This hexavalent chromium provides excellent corrosion protection even in a cryogenic environment, but it is a carcinogen that requires special equipment and waste control procedures to use. The hazardous nature of hexavalent chromium makes it an obsolescence risk in the future. This study included two phases of evaluation. Thirteen primers were initially identified as candidates and twelve of those primers were tested in phase 1. Four of the best performing candidates from phase 1 continued into phase 2 testing. Phase 1 testing consisted mostly of liquid constituent and physical property testing. Cryoflex and salt fog testing were included in phase 1 because of their importance to the overall success of a candidate material. Phase 2 consisted of physical, thermal, and mechanical properties for nominally processed and fabricated specimens

Spatial distributions of perchloroethylene reactive transport parameters in the Borden Aquifer

We determined the descriptive statistical and spatial geostatistical properties of the perchloroethene ln Kd and the ln k of a 1.5 m thick by 10 m horizontal transect of the Borden aquifer near the location of the Stanford-Waterloo (SW) tracer experiment. The ln Kd distribution is not normal and is right skewed because of a few high values that occur localized in two regions of the transect. In contrast, the ln k data can be characterized by a normal distribution. A linear regression of ln Kd on ln k yields a statistically significant positive correlation, also shown at small lags in the cross correlogram. No significant vertical or horizontal trend in the ln Kd data was detected. The semivariogram ranges of ln k and ln Kd differ from one another in the vertical direction (0.33 ± 0.06 m and 0.20 ± 0.04 m, respectively) and are much less than the horizontal ranges (a few meters). Despite significant effort the horizontal range of ln Kd remains poorly characterized because of limitations of the sample locations. Many of the characteristics described above do not match those assumed in prior theoretical studies that examined the importance of various aquifer characteristics on SW tracer transport. We suggest that there is knowledge to be gained by revisiting the conclusions of these prior studies in light of the new information presented here

On the representation of the electric charge distribution in ethane for calculations of the molecular quadrupole moment and intermolecular electrostatic energy

doi:10.1063/1.449776It is shown that a simple atom‐site monopole model is inferior to one which includes higher‐order local multipoles to represent the intramolecular charge distribution of ethane. Unlike the latter model, the local monopole representation predicts the wrong sign for the molecular quadrupole moment and gives a repulsive rather than an attractive electrostatic interaction at typical intermolecular distances. In the local multipole model, the atom‐site dipoles give the largest contribution to both the molecular quadrupole moment and the intermolecular interaction.This work was partially supported by the Danish Natural Science Foundation, the Otto Mensteds Fond, and National Science Foundation Grants No. DMR-8214518 and No. DMR-8304366

Occurrence and mechanisms of formation of a dramatic thin layer of marine snow in a shallow Pacific fjord

Huge accumulations of diatom-dominated marine snow (aggregates \u3e0.5 mm in diameter) were observed in a layer approximately 50 cm thick persisting over a 24 h period in a shallow fjord in the San Juan Islands, Washington, USA. The layer was associated with the 22.4 σt density surface. A second thin layer of elevated phytoplankton concentration located at a density discontinuity 1.5 to 2 m above the marine snow layer occurred within a dense diatom bloom near the surface. At the end of the study period, isopycnals shoaled and the 2 layers merged. More than 80% of the diatom bloom consisted of Thalassiosira spp. (50 to 59%), Odontella longicruris (5 to 14%), Asterionellopsis glacialis, and Thalassionema nitzschioides. A much higher proportion of O. longicruris occurred in marine snow (about 53%) than among suspended cells suggesting that this species differentially aggregated. Most zooplankton avoided the mucus-rich aggregate layer. The layer of marine snow was formed when sinking aggregated diatoms reached neutral buoyancy at the 22.4 isopycnal, probably due to the presence of low salinity mucus resistant to salt exchange in the interstices of the aggregates. Rates of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation throughout the water column rarely exceeded 10-8 m2 s-3 and aggregates below the thin layer were largely detrital in composition indicating that small-scale shears due to turbulence did not erode the layer of marine snow. The accumulation of marine snow and phytoplankton in persistent, discrete layers at density discontinuities results in habitat partitioning of the pelagic zone, impacts the distribution and interactions of planktonic organisms as well as the intensity and location of biological processes in the water column, and helps maintain species diversity