Activation energy for skeletal aragonite deposited by the hermatypic coral Platygyra spp.

Average radial growth rates of the hemispherical aragonite colonies deposited by the Indo-Pacific scleractinian reef coral Platygyra spp. were determined by measuring the thickness of density variations in the skeleton that are revealed by X-radiography. Ninety-one specimens from 21 localities were examined, but only 54 of these exhibited well-defined growth-banding. The apparent temperature dependence of growth rate is linear over the range 23.9° to 29.3°C, averaging 5.4±0.94 mm/year at 24°C, 8.0±0.42 mm/year at 27°C, and 9.7 ±0.58 mm/year at 29°C (90% confidence limits). Expression of the influence of temperature on growth rate in terms of the Arrhenius equation yields an activation energy of 20,680 cal/mole, which is comparable to values for typical biological reactions, but is only half that reported for skeletogenesis in another reef coral, Pocillopora damicornis, on the basis of controlled incubation studies involving ⁴⁵Ca uptake.     

Stable isotope ratio variations in non-scleractinian coelenterate carbonates as a function of temperature

Some coelenterates of the class Hydrozoa and some anthozoan coelenterates from the subclass Octocorallia secrete skeletons of calcium carbonate. Skeletal carbonates of three hydrozoans and of two octocorals were analyzed for the stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen. The results suggest that each of these coelenterates deposits CaCO₃ in oxygen isotopic equilibrium with seawater, and that at least one octocoral, Heliopora, has skeletal carbon in apparent isotopic equilibrium with atmospheric CO₂. Two of these coelenterates, Millepora and Helipora, are significant contributors to the construction of coral reefs. Whereas ¹⁸O of these corals is temperature dependent, ¹³C is not obviously related to temperature. The ¹⁸O-temperature relationship is not significantly different from the oxygen isotope paleotemperature scale developed by Epstein et al. (1953). These findings contrast with numerous analyses of the carbonate in scleractinian coelenterates, which have long been reported to deposit CaCO₃ skeletons whose carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions are not in equilibrium with the external sea-water environment.     

An outline of the 1994-1998 European inspection and maintenance study: part I-design, tests, and results of experimental methods.

This paper provides an overview and the main results of a study aiming to evaluate current and alternative inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs to control emissions from in-use cars in Europe. For this purpose, a large number of passenger cars from five countries (France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) were tested according to a common test protocol that included a variety of driving cycles and short tests, both legislative and specifically developed for this exercise. Evaluation of all test results was conducted with the objective of defining effective I/M test procedures and examining the potential of periodic I/M programs to reduce pollutant emissions and improve fuel economy of in-use cars. The results indicate that the current idle test used for catalyst-equipped cars in Europe is probably ineffective, while short transient loaded testing was found to offer higher potential in environmental terms. Regarding conventional gasoline cars, it is concluded that the idle test is sufficient, provided that the CO cut point is reduced and an HC test is added at high idle. Finally, the effectiveness of the free acceleration smoke test for diesels is questioned, while a transient cycle with continuous opacity measurement was found to be very promising. A companion paper further uses these results to analyze the likely cost-effectiveness on a per-country basis and discusses the possible effect of maintenance on emissions.     

Trade agreements,labour mobility and climate change in the Pacific Islands

Regional Environmental Change - The risks, pressures and threats on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific from climate change are often perceived by outsiders as overwhelming, both...