Conservative tracer study of horizontal sediment mixing rates in a bathyal basin, California borderland

In situ tracer (50–125 μm plastic particles) experiments conducted using the DSV Alvin over a two year period in the 1240 m deep Santa Catalina Basin (eastern Pacific) have yielded near-surface (0–1.5 cm) horizontal bioturbation rates of order 1–10 cm2yr–1. Vertical biodiffusivities obtained from the same and similar particulate tracers at the same site are approximately an order of magnitude less. Mixing of near-surface, coarse sediment in Santa Catalina Basin is anisotropic. Deeper within the sediment horizontal bioturbation is not diffusive on a two-year time scale, but would appear to be a form of mixing termed nonlocal symmetric by Boudreau and Imboden (1987), whereby particles are moved appreciable distances advectively. The finding that bioturbation in near-surface sediments is anisotropic in Santa Catalina Basin and the likelihood that this phenomenon is widespread in deep-ocean sediments calls into question the present parameterization of the effect sediment mixing has on various early diagenetic processes. Specifically, the contribution of bioturbation to organic carbon remineralization rates via microbial intermediaries may be underestimated. Bioturbation rates represent more than simply vertical mass transfer coefficients and should be incorporated into models of early diagenesis accordingly

Spatial variation in short-term (234Th) sediment bioturbation intensity along an organic-carbon gradient

Natural and human-induced spatial gradients provide a useful vehicle with which to better understand diverse marine processes. On the Palos Verdes margin (S. California), historical and ongoing waste-water discharge has created an along-shelf gradient in organic C and total N, as well as various trace metals and other pollutants (e.g., DDT). To better understand the impact of such pollution on bioturbation and to develop a more general understanding of the controlling factors of sediment bioturbation intensity, a series of stations representing severely, moderately and negligibly impacted sediments was studied. Vertical profiles of the naturally occurring radionuclide, 234Th, as well as the abundance and species composition of macrofauna were measured from box cores collected at three sites during July 1992. During a March 1993 cruise, radionuclide profiles were collected at an additional eleven sites on the margin. Excess 234Th profiles are, in general, consistent with a steady-state model that balances vertical biodiffusive mixing with radioactive decay. Biodiffusivities determined from the 234Th profiles yield a spatial pattern in which sediments near the outfall are mixed at intensities of ≈10 cm2/yr, and bioturbation intensities are five times as rapid at sites 5–7 km from the outfall. Average mixing intensities are between these extremes (28 cm2/yr) at a nearby unimpacted site. Despite the overall consistency of this pattern the reasons behind it remain unclear. Structural aspects of the macrofauna either do not vary between the three intensively studied stations (e.g., depth distribution, size) or do so in a manner that would suggest an opposite effect on the biodiffusivity (e.g., abundance). There is also little variability in trophic groupings along the enrichment gradient. Behavioral modifications, such as: (1) sublethal pollution effects caused by elevated contaminant (e.g., organic carbon and DDT) concentrations, and (2) inhibition by a tube-building polychaete, Mediomastus sp., are postulated to suppress mixing intensities near the outfall. The results of this study suggest that, at least in shallow-water settings, the general controls of bioturbation intensity are still poorly understood

Particle bioturbation in Massachusetts Bay: Preliminary results using a new deliberate tracer technique

To better understand temporal and particle size-dependent bioturbation processes, we conducted a study of sediment mixing in Massachusetts Bay using a newly developed deliberate tracer technique. Sediments from a 32-m, fine-grained site were collected and the 38–62 (“silt”) and 63–125 (“sand”) μm fractions isolated. These particle-size fractions were labeled with two different noble metals (Au: silt & Ag: sand) using a thermal diffusion technique. Mixtures of the tracers were spread onto the seafloor in April and July 1992 by divers and were tube-cored (3 replicates) ˜ 80 d later in each case. Vertical profiles of the tracers were measured at μg/g (Ag) and ng/g (Au) levels by instrumental neutron activation analysis. During the spring experiment, Au (silt) was mixed to depths \u3e 15 cm and displayed multiple subsurface maxima, whereas Ag (sand) was confined to the upper 5 cm of the bed and showed a near monotonic decrease in concentration with depth. In the fall experiment, the tracers displayed more congruent down-core profiles consisting of near-surface maxima and several subsurface peaks. Two nonlocal bioturbation modes are suggested by the tracer data: reverse conveyor-belt transport and head-down deposit feeding or excavation. A particle caching strategy by an unidentified macrofaunal species is postulated to explain the subsurface peaks, but remains conjectural without better species-level natural history information regarding solid-phase bioturbation

A mechanistic view of the particulate biodiffusion coefficient: Step lengths, rest periods and transport directions

We link specific mechanisms of biogenous sediment mixing with the commonly used bioturbation coefficient (Db) that describes their bulk effects. Using an isotropic, stationary, unbiased random walk model we mechanistically decompose the particulate bioturbation coefficient into the fundamental dimensions of length and time. The result shows that Db depends directly on the square of the distance particles are moved (step length) and inversely on the elapsed time between movements (rest period). This new decomposition in terms of explicit mechanisms (i.e., animal activities), leads to scaling arguments that large, deposit feeding animals will in nearly all cases dominate biogenous mixing. Paradoxically, such animals often transport particles vertically in an advective fashion (e.g., conveyor-belt feeding), making the widespread fit of the diffusion equation to tracer profiles equivocal. Finite-difference simulations reveal that even in the complete absence of vertical diffusion, rapid diffusive horizontal mixing coupled with vertical advection can produce vertical profiles characteristic of diffusion. We suggest that near-surface horizontal mixing rates by animals far exceed vertical mixing rates in the same stratum and that this anisotropy may persist throughout the surface mixed layer. Thus, despite their apparently good kinematic fit, one-dimensional biodiffusion coefficients may not accurately describe the dynamics of sediment displacement, leading to errors in models of early diagenesis

Experimental tests for particle size-dependent bioturbation in the deep ocean

The potential for particle size-dependent bioturbation rates was experimentally tested at 1,240 m in the Santa Catalina Basin (eastern Pacific). Spherical glass bead tracers in five size classes (8- 16, 17-31, 32-62, 63-125, and 126-420 μm) were spread over the sediment surface and tube cored 997 d later. Downcore concentrations of glass beads were enumerated in each of the five size categories and Page's L-test was used to test the null hypothesis of equal vertical penetration of all size classes of tracer. In all cores the null hypothesis was rejected; finer tracers penetrated deeper into the sediment. In two of the three cores, vertical biodiffusivities were computed from concentration profiles of downcore tracers. These also showed size dependence, with biodiffusivities ranging from 1 cm² yr¯¹ for the 8-1 6-μm fraction to 0.1 cm² yr¯¹ for the 125-420-μm size class. These data demonstrate that vertical bioturbation rates are particle size-dependent in Santa Catalina Basin. The likely cause is preferential ingestion and downward transport of fine particles by deposit feeders

Human exercise-induced circulating progenitor cell mobilization is nitric oxide-dependent and is blunted in South Asian men

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website. Copyright @ 2010 American Heart Foundation.Objective— Circulating progenitor cells (CPC) have emerged as potential mediators of vascular repair. In experimental models, CPC mobilization is critically dependent on nitric oxide (NO). South Asian ethnicity is associated with reduced CPC. We assessed CPC mobilization in response to exercise in Asian men and examined the role of NO in CPC mobilization per se. Methods and Results— In 15 healthy, white European men and 15 matched South Asian men, CPC mobilization was assessed during moderate-intensity exercise. Brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatation was used to assess NO bioavailability. To determine the role of NO in CPC mobilization, identical exercise studies were performed during intravenous separate infusions of saline, the NO synthase inhibitor l-NMMA, and norepinephrine.  Flow-mediated vasodilatation (5.8%±0.4% vs 7.9%±0.5%; P=0.002) and CPC mobilization (CD34+/KDR+ 53.2% vs 85.4%; P=0.001; CD133+/CD34+/KDR+ 48.4% vs 73.9%; P=0.05; and CD34+/CD45− 49.3% vs 78.4; P=0.006) was blunted in the South Asian group. CPC mobilization correlated with flow-mediated vasodilatation and l-NMMA significantly reduced exercise-induced CPC mobilization (CD34+/KDR+ −3.3% vs 68.4%; CD133+/CD34+/KDR+ 0.7% vs 71.4%; and CD34+/CD45− −30.5% vs 77.8%; all P<0.001). Conclusion— In humans, NO is critical for CPC mobilization in response to exercise. Reduced NO bioavailability may contribute to imbalance between vascular damage and repair mechanisms in South Asian men.British Heart Foundatio

Investigation of metastable zones and induction times in glycine crystallisation across three different antisolvents

Experimental data on the effects that different antisolvents and antisolvent addition strategies have on nucleation behavior in antisolvent crystallization is very limited, and our understanding of these effects is sparse. In this work we measured the metastable zone width for the isothermal antisolvent crystallization of glycine from water utilizing methanol, ethanol, and dimethylformamide as antisolvents. We then investigated induction times for glycine crystallization across these metastable zones using the same three antisolvents. Supersaturated solutions were prepared by mixing of an antisolvent with undersaturated aqueous glycine solutions, either by batch rapid addition or using a continuous static mixer. Induction times were then recorded under agitated isothermal conditions in small vials with the use of webcam imaging and vary from apparently instant to thousands of seconds over a range of compositions and different mixing modes. Well-defined induction times were detected across most of the metastable zone, which shows that primary nucleation is significant at supersaturations much lower than those identified in conventional metastable zone width measurements. As supersaturation increases toward the metastable zone limit, crystal growth and secondary nucleation are likely to become rate-limiting factors in the observed induction times for antisolvent crystallization. Furthermore, the observed induction times were strongly dependent on the mode of mixing (batch rapid addition vs continuous static mixing), which demonstrates an interplay of antisolvent effects on nucleation with their effects on mixing, leading to crossover of mixing and nucleation time scales. This shows that appropriate mixing strategies are crucial for the rational development of robust scalable antisolvent crystallization processes

Trends in the suspended-sediment yields of coastal rivers of northern California, 1955–2010

Time-depe ndencies of suspended-sediment discharge from six coastal watersheds of northern Califor nia – Smith River, Klamath River, Trinity River, Redwood Creek, Mad River, and Eel River –were evaluated using monitoring data from 1955 to 2010. Suspended-sediment concentrations revealed ti me-dependent hysteresis and multi-year trends. The multi-year trends had two primary patterns relative to river dis- charge: (i)increases in concentration resulting from both land clearing from loggin gand the floodof record during December 1964 (water year 1965),and (ii)continual decreases in concentration during the decades following this flood.Data from the Eel River revealed that changes in suspended-sediment concentrations occurred for all grain-size fractions, but were most pronounced for the sand fraction. Because of these changes, the use of bulk discharge-concentration relationships (i.e.,‘‘sediment ratin g curves’’) without time-dependencies in these relationships resulted in substantial errors in sediment load estimates, including 2.5-fold over-prediction of Eel River sediment loads since 1979. We conclu de that sedimen tdischarge and sediment discharge relationships (suchas sediment rating curves)from these coastal rivers have varied substantially with time in response to land use and climate. Thus, the use of historical river sediment data and sediment rating curves without considerations for time-depende nt trends may result in significanterrors in sediment yield estimates from the globally-im portant steep, small watersheds.Keywords: Northern California, River, Suspended-sediment discharge, Time series analysi

Particulate organic matter export by two contrasting small mountainous rivers from the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A.

We investigated the export of particulate organic matter (POM) to the ocean by two contrasting small, mountainous rivers, the Umpqua and Eel Rivers, by collecting suspended sediment samples over a range of discharges and analyzing them for a variety of constituents, including organic carbon, nitrogen, biomarkers with distinct biochemical sources, and isotopic compositions (δ¹³C and Δ¹⁴C). Concentrations of all measured constituents in both rivers increased as a function of discharge, resulting in their export being dominated by short-lived, wintertime high-discharge events. In the Umpqua River, marked compositional contrasts between low- and high-discharge conditions were consistent with a shift in the provenance of POM from biogenic sources dominated by non-vascular plant sources at low flows to contributions from vascular plant sources of moderate ¹⁴C ages (~300 years before present) dominating at high flows. In contrast, POM from the Eel River, which was highly diluted by mineral sediment at all discharges, had significant contributions from petrogenic sources and displayed lower concentrations of recognizable biomarkers. Both rivers had comparable yields of biogenic POM, which appeared to be moderately degraded and originated primarily from surface soils in erosion prone areas of the watersheds. While tectonic/geologic differences help explain the contrasts in sediment and petrogenic POM yields between the two watersheds, ecological factors such as vegetation coverage, productivity, and soil carbon are more important in influencing the composition of biogenic POM mobilized from these systems.Keywords: Oregon Coast Range, Northern California, Mendocino triple junction, Eel River, Efffective discharge, Carbon, Continental shelf, Debris flow, United States, Sediment transpor

Creating and controlling visual environments using BonVision.

Real-time rendering of closed-loop visual environments is important for next-generation understanding of brain function and behaviour, but is often prohibitively difficult for non-experts to implement and is limited to few laboratories worldwide. We developed BonVision as an easy-to-use open-source software for the display of virtual or augmented reality, as well as standard visual stimuli. BonVision has been tested on humans and mice, and is capable of supporting new experimental designs in other animal models of vision. As the architecture is based on the open-source Bonsai graphical programming language, BonVision benefits from native integration with experimental hardware. BonVision therefore enables easy implementation of closed-loop experiments, including real-time interaction with deep neural networks, and communication with behavioural and physiological measurement and manipulation devices