Ecology of estuarine bacteria capable of causing human disease: A review

Certain bacteria indigenous to estuaries are capable of acting as opportunistic pathogens of humans. While it is sometimes difficult to prove that a given bacterium is a bona fide inhabitant of the estuary from which it was isolated, it is even more difficult to describe the niche of that bacterial species. This statement applies to all estuarine bacteria, including opportunistic human pathogens. On the other hand, much has been learned about the pathogenic attributes of bacteria that cause human disease, including genetic control mechanisms for virulence factors. The focus of this review is to put into perspective current knowledge of the ecology of those estuarine bacteria that can inhabit both estuaries and humans. Particular attention is paid to those attributes that allow these bacteria to exist in and move between estuaries and the human body. Genera covered includeAcinetobacter, Aeromonas, Clostridium, Enterobacter, Flavobacterium, Klebsiella, Legionella, Listeria, Plesiomonas, Pseudomonas, andVibrio, and the conclusion reached is that much remains to be learned about the estuarine ecology of these important bacteria.     

Lacustrine basin hydrocarbon exploration – current thoughts

Although much of the world's petroleum resource-base is associated with marine systems, regionally lacustrine petroleum systems are important. Individual accumulations may exceed several billion barrels. In each of these cases the oil is derived from a lacustrine source rock and may be produced from either nonmarine or marine reservoir rocks. The purpose of this paper is to describe the factors that control lacustrine source rock development and the nature of lacustrine reservoirs. Lacustrine oils display different physical and chemical characteristics than their marine counterparts. These differences can be related to the nature of their precursor material. Although the nature of the products are different, the geochemical threshold criteria for defining source rocks in both settings are the same because of common expulsion requirements. Commercially significant lacustrine systems require the presence of large, long-lived lakes. Such lake settings are tectonic in origin and restricted to climatic settings where precipitation exceeds evaporation. Within these large lake systems three primary factors determine source rock potential and quality. These factors are primary productivity level, organic preservation potential, and matrix sedimentation rate, which controls the dilution of preserved organic matter. Source rock potential is maximized where both productivity and preservation potential are maximized and sedimentation rate is minimized. To some degree these factors can compensate for each other. Hydrocarbon reservoir potential within lacustrine basins is partially impacted by overall tectonic setting. Within extensional settings, transport distances tend to be limited, with much of the sediment being transported away from the basin. The sediments delivered to the lake are poorly sorted and sedimentologically immature, commonly resulting in poor reservoirs due to both primary properties and their susceptibility to diagenesis. Within rifts better reservoirs tend to develop along platform or flexural margins. Stacking of reservoirs is important in lacustrine systems but baffles and barriers are often present between individual sand units. These barriers form as a result of lake level fluctuations. In compressional settings transport distances tend to be longer, resulting in more mature, better sorted sediments leading to higher quality reservoirs. These reservoirs typically develop in fluvial-deltaic and wave-dominated shoreline settings. Lacustrine carbonate reservoirs are locally important. These carbonates tend to develop during lake level lowstands and are dependent on diagenesis (dissolution and karstification) for porosity and permeability development. Lacustrine reservoirs are often stratigraphically and areally limited and display low individual well production rates. Within pure lacustrine systems exploration opportunities appear to be often restricted by either reservoir presence or quality (i.e., production rates). The best exploration opportunities in lacustrine basins appear to be associated with hybrid systems where a lacustrine source and marine reservoir exist.     

Dolomitization of the Waulsortian Limestone (Lower Carboniferous) in the Irish Midlands

The Waulsortian Limestone (Lower Carboniferous) of the southern Irish Midlands is dolomitized pervasively over a much larger region than previous studies have documented. This study indicates a complex, multistage, multiple fluid history for regional dolomitization. Partially and completely dolomitized sections of Waulsortian Limestones are characterized by finely crystalline (0·01–0·3 mm) planar dolomite. Planar replacive dolomite is commonly followed by coarse (≥0·5 mm) nonplanar replacive dolomite, and pervasive void‐filling saddle dolomite cement is frequently associated with Zn–Pb mineralization. Planar dolomite has average δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values (‰ PDB) of –4·8 and 3·9 respectively. These are lower oxygen and slightly higher carbon isotope values than averages for marine limestones in the Waulsortian (δ¹⁸O=–2·2, δ¹³C=3·7). Mean C and O isotope values of planar replacive dolomite are also distinct from those of nonplanar and saddle dolomite cement (–7·0 and 3·3; –7·4 and 2·4 respectively). Fluid inclusions indicate a complex history involving at least three chemically and thermally distinct fluids during dolomite cementation. The petrography and geochemistry of planar dolomites are consistent with an early diagenetic origin, possibly in equilibrium with modified Carboniferous sea water. Where the Waulsortian was exposed to hydrothermal fluids (70–280 °C), planar dolomite underwent a neomorphic recrystallization to a coarser crystalline, planar and nonplanar dolomite characterized by lower δ¹⁸O values. Void‐filling dolomite cement is isotopically similar to nonplanar, replacive dolomite and reflects a similar origin from hydrothermal fluids. This history of multiple stages of dolomitization is significantly more complex than earlier models proposed for the Irish Midlands and provides a framework upon which to test competing models of regional vs. localized fluid flow.     

Detailed correlation of type III radio bursts with Hα activity

We compare observations of type III impulsive radio bursts made at the Clark Lake Radio Observatory with high-spatial-resolution cinematographic observations taken at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. Use of the log-periodic radio interferometer allows us to localize the radio emission uniquely. This study concentrates on the particularly active region close to the limb on 22 May 1970. Sixteen of the 17 groups were associated with some H activity, 11 of them with the start of such activity.as of September 1972: Williams College-Hopkins Observatory, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267.     

Surveillance for previously unmonitored organic contaminants in the San Francisco Estuary

The San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program initiated surveillance monitoring to identify previously unmonitored synthetic organic contaminants in the San Francisco Estuary. Organic extracts of water samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in full scan mode. The major contaminant classes identified in the samples were fire retardants, pesticides, personal care product ingredients, and plasticizers. Evidence from the literature suggests that some of these contaminants can persist in the environment, induce toxicity, and accumulate in marine biota and in higher food chain consumers. The major sources of these contaminants into the marine environment are the discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater effluents, urban stormwater, and agricultural runoff. As a proactive effort, it is suggested that surveillance studies be used routinely in monitoring programs to identify and prevent potential problem contaminants from harming the marine environment.     

Contaminant concentrations in sport fish from San Francisco Bay, 1997

In 1997, seven sport fish species were sampled from seven popular fishing areas in San Francisco Bay. Mercury exceeded a human health screening value in 44 of 84 (52%) samples. All collected samples of leopard shark and striped bass exceeded the mercury screening value of 0.23 microg/g wet weight. PCBs exceeded the screening value in 51 of 72 (71%) samples. DDT, chlordane, and dieldrin, had lower numbers of samples above screening values: 16 of 72 (22%) for DDT, 11 of 72 (15%) for chlordanes, and 27 of 72 (37%) for dieldrin. Concentrations of PCBs and other trace organics were highest in white croaker and shiner surfperch, the two species with the highest fat content in their muscle tissue. Fish from one location, Oakland Harbor, had significantly elevated wet weight concentrations of mercury, PCBs, DDTs, and chlordanes compared to other locations. Removal of skin from white croaker fillets reduced lipid concentrations by 27-49% and concentrations of trace organics by 33-40%.     

Short-Period Waves That Heat the Corona Detected at the 1999 Eclipse

As a part of a study of the cause of solar coronal heating, we searched for high-frequency (1 Hz) intensity oscillations in coronal loops in the [Fexiv] coronal green line. We summarize results from observations made at the 11 August 1999 total solar eclipse from Râmnicu-Vâlcea, Romania, through clear skies. We discuss the image reduction and analysis through two simultaneous series of coronal CCD images digitized at 10 Hz for a total time of about 140 s. One series of images was taken through a 3.6 Å filter isolating the 5303 Å[Fexiv] coronal green line and the other through a 100 Å filter in the nearby K-corona continuum. Previous observations, described in Pasachoff et al. (2000), showed no evidence for oscillations in the [Fexiv] green line at a level greater than 2% of coronal intensity. We describe several improvements made over the 1998 eclipse that led to increased image clarity and sensitivity. The corona was brighter in 1999 with the solar maximum, further improving the data. We use Fourier analysis to search in the [Fexiv] channel for intensity oscillations in loops at the base of the corona. Such oscillations in the 1-Hz range are predicted as a result of density fluctuations from the resonant absorption of MHD waves. The dissipation of a significant amount of mechanical energy from the photosphere into the corona through this mechanism could provide sufficient energy to heat the corona. A Monte Carlo model of the data suggests the presence of enhanced power, particularly in the 0.75–1.0 Hz range, and we conclude that MHD waves remain a viable method for coronal heating.