Comparative Toxicities of Polar and Non-Polar Organic Fractions From Sediments Affected By the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Standardized tests were applied to aromatic and polar fractions of sediment extracts to determine whether polar constituents or oxidative degradation products contributed significantly to the toxicity of sediments oiled by the Exxon Valdez spill. Intertidal sediment and pore-water samples were collected in September 1990 from two heavily oiled sites and an unoiled site in Prince William Sound (PWS). Methylene chloride extracts from these samples were fractionated by liquid chromatography into aliphatic, aromatic and polar fractions, and the aromatic and polar fractions were tested for toxicity using the Microtox^R test, bivalve larval mortality and development (Mytilus); several measures of genotoxicity in Mytilus, including SOS Chromotest^R, anaphase aberrations and sister chromatid exchange; and survival, anaphase aberrations and teratogenicity in coho salmon (Onchorhynchus kisutch). Microtox^R and SOS Chromotest^R protocols were applied in a screening mode to all samples, whereas other tests were applied only to selected fractions from two sites. Samples from Bay of Isles (oiled) were consistently more toxic (usually only 2 to 5-fold) than the Mooselips Bay (unoiled) samples, which gave very low responses in all tests. for both sites, however, responses to polar and aromatic fractions were about the same in most tests, suggesting that while the overall toxicity of the oil was low in these samples, at least part of that toxicity was derived from polar constituents. Compared to the parent hydrocarbons, polar oxidation products partition preferentially into pore-water and are more rapidly diluted and dispersed in the water column. These results suggest that polar oxidation products of petroleum hydrocarbons pose little risk to marine organisms, except possibly for infauna continuously exposed to pore-water in heavily oiled sediments. Independent surveys showed that sediment toxicity in PWS declined during 1989-1991 to near background levels, in accord with previous understanding of oil weathering and toxicity.     

The growth of large diamond crystals

Large diamond crystals up to 6 mm in average diameter may be grown at high pressures (55–60 kbar) and temperatures (1400–1500 °C) by causing diamond to dissolve in a molten catalyst metal (Fe, Ni, Co, etc.) in a hot region and deposit upon a seed crystal in a slightly cooler region. Several days are required to produce a high quality single crystal. The process can be controlled to produce different kinds of diamonds whose properties have been studied.     

Objectives and status of fabric filter performance study

In October 1977, Southwestern Public Service Company executed a contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that called for a study to assess the performance of a fabric filter system installed on a large utility boiler that utilizes low sulfur Western coal. The project is now into its second year and the objectives of this paper are to describe the scope and intent of the study, as well as to report progress to date. In addition, some of the difficulties that we have encountered are discussed. Although some of these problems have resulted in procedural changes, the intent of the study has not been altered. This paper describes work being done in specific areas with which both the EPA and Southwestern are connected. These include fabric assessment, data collection, selection and installation of instrumentation, and overall fabric filter system performance. Results of the first performance test are also reviewed and the installation of a pilot baghouse is discussed.     

Analysis and prediction of ecological and ecosystem dynamics with response structure models

A method of directly using data concerning species' responses to various combinations of levels of environmental factors is outlined. Examples of its utilization to analyze (and predict) the dynamics of the ecological processes of population growth, interspecific competition, and predation are given for simple systems; a simulation is presented wherein all of these processes interact within a simple ecosystem. A technique of summarizing the pattern and detail of variation of levels of combination of important environmental factors is also introduced. Together these methods permit application of real world information about the components of the biological community and the environment toward the modeling of ecosystems and the making of predictions concerning them to whatever degree of accuracy which may be useful.There are several major advantages of this approach: (1) It makes maximum use of real world data; the limits of its precision are determined only by the adequacy of the data available (hypothetical values also may be used where real data are unavailable and/or where such hypothetical values may be useful in model and theory development). (2) It is powerful (and applicable to the dynamics of diverse kinds of systems), mathematically very simple, and has important advantages in that non-linearities, thresholds, etc. are automatically and accurately taken into account. (3) It can be expressed numerically or graphically, and therefore is especially helpful in permitting visualization of ecological processes and the results of their action.     

The social contexts of some very low frequency calls of African elephants

Summary Several types of low frequency calls made by African elephants, Loxodonta africana, and the contexts in which they occurred are described. These calls had fundamental frequencies ranging from 14–35 Hz and sound pressure levels as high as 103±3dB (re 20 Pa) at 5 m from the source. Very low frequency sounds are subject to very little environmental attenuation, suggesting that sounds at the frequencies and sound pressure levels measured from elephants may be audible to conspecifics several km away. Long-term records on the behavior of elephants and on the contexts of specific call types suggest that elephants make use of infrasound in the spatial coordination of groups and as they search for mates.