ALBERT

Description: In fluidized bed rnactors, applled for nitrate removal in an aquaculture unit, denitrificatlon of nitrate was found to result in an accumulation of nitrite. Isolation of denltrifylng bacteria from these reactors revealed that most of these isolates produced nitrite from nitrate under controlled laboratory. conditions. Two of the isolates, one with accumulated nitrite while respiring on nitrate, and the other not, were subject to further studies. It was found that nitrite accumulation in one of these isolates could be adequately explained by differences in the relative rates of nitrate and nitrite reduction. Inhibiting concentrations of nitrite were lower for the isolate which did not accumulate nitrite. Incubation of the nitrite-accumulating isolate with different carbon sources resulted ln differences in the relative nitrite accumulation (as compared with the runount of nitrate reduced.

Description: A method is presented to determine the extent of iron complexation by natural organic ligands in seawater. Catalytic cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) is used to take advantage of ligand competition between the added ligand, 1-nitroso-2-napthol (NN), and natural ligands present in seawater. The conditional stability constant for the complexation of iron by NN was calibrated for salinities between 1 and 36 using ligand competition with EDTA. The values of log K'(Fe(NN))3 (valid for pH 6.9 seawater) were found to vary linearly with log salinity according to log K'(Fe(NN))3 = - 1.04 +/- 0.08 log(salinity) + 30.12 +/- 0.09. The detection window, defined by the iron complexing ability of NN was altered by varying the concentration of NN. Preliminary measurements of iron complexing ligands in samples from coastal and open oceanic origin revealed the presence of natural complexing ligands at concentrations higher than that of total dissolved iron. The stability constants for the complexes were high, log K'(FeL) falling within the range of 18.8-21.2, indicating that by far the greatest component (99%) of the dissolved iron occurs organically complexed in pH 6.9 seawater. Model calculations showed that it is possible that the organic fraction may be somewhat less at a pH value near 8.

Description: The basalt stratigraphy of the Deccan Trap between Mahabaleshwar Ghat and Belgaum over-steps the basement from north to south. Sr-isotope and Zr/Nb ratios, and Sr, Rb, and Ba concentrations correlate portions of the post-Poladpur stratigraphy over 250 km along the Western Ghats, thereby confirming a southerly component of dip of 0·06°. At the southwestern margin, the stratigraphy extends upwards from the compositionally uniform Ambenali Formation (Cox & Hawkesworth, 1984) into a sequence of grossly heterogeneous flow units which have been allocated to the Mahabaleshwar and Panhala Formations (Lightfoot & Hawkesworth, 1988). The Mahabaleshwar Formation is represented only by a sequence of highly fractionated flows (termed the Kolhapur unit) with similar 87Sr/86Sr0 to the Mahabaleshwar (0·7045), but with Sr〈240 ppm and TiO2〉2·25%. Succeeding the Kolhapur unit are a series of flows with high 87Sr/86Sr0 (0·7045-0·705), Zr/Nb 〉 13, and low Sr (〈 200 ppm), which have been allocated to the Panhala Formation, and a group of flows with high 87Sr/86Sr0 (0·707–0·708) and Sr (〉230), but trace element concentrations similar to the Mahabaleshwar Formation; these have been allocated to the Desur unit of the Panhala. Geochemical variations in flows overlying the Ambenali define two distinct trends: one is attributed to gabbro fractionation, and the other to variations in the compositions of the parental magmas, and arguably their source regions. There is little evidence for significant crustal contamination in these flows, and the degree of fractionation and the composition of the phase extract are shown to vary along strike within the Mahabaleshwar Formation. The high TiO2 content of Kolhapur unit flows is shown to be the result of shallow-level gabbro fractionation, rather than the presence of a primitive high-Ti magma. Mahabaleshwar Formation basalts exhibit a broad negative correlation between the degree of fractionation and Sr-isotopic composition. The endmember with lower 87Sr/86Sr0 has different Zr/Y from the Ambenali basalts, and would appear to have been generated by lower degrees of melting of a similar source. The other endmember has more radiogenic Sr, lower Zr/Nb, similar Zr/Y, but higher mg-number. The simplest interpretation is that these magmas were more primitive and hence hotter and more able to interact with the lithosphere en route to the surface, and that they then mixed to produce the Mahabaleshwar array. The Panhala Formation basalts plot on the Sr-Nd array defined by the Mahabaleshwar Formation, and the Desur unit basalts plot on an extension of this array; this suggests that the source characteristics are also lithospheric. The absolute elemental abundances may then be a function of melting and fractionation. We are impressed by the apparent switch from crustal lithospheric contributions to mantle lithospheric contributions through the stratigraphy, and suggest that this, together with the more protracted fractionation of the magma, reflects a change in the availability of the lithospheric components accompanying the southerly migration of the volcanic edifice.

Description: An automated and semi-intelligent voltammetric system is described for trace metal analysis. The system consists of a voltammeter interfaced with a personal computer, a sample changer, 2 peristaltic pumps, a motor burette and a hanging mercury drop electrode. The system carries out fully automatically approximately 5 metal determinations per hour (including at least 3 repetitive scans and calibration by standard addition) at trace levels encountered in clean sea water. The computer program decides what level of standard addition to use and evaluates the data prior to switching to the next sample. Alternatively, the system can be used to carry out complexing ligand titrations with copper whilst recording the labile copper concentration; in this mode up to 8 full titrations are carried out per day. Depth profiles for chromium speciation in the Mediterranean Sea and a profile for copper complexing ligand concentrations in the North Atlantic Ocean measured on board-ship with the system are presented. The chromium speciation was determined using a new method to differentiate between Cr(III) and Cr(VI) utilizing adsorption of Cr(III) on silica particles.

Description: The use of in-line UV-digestion for breakdown of dissolved organic matter (DOM), prior to voltammetric determination of trace metals in natural samples, is discussed in this paper. Destruction of DOM is necessary to free trace metals that are organically complexed and to remove interfering organic surfactants. Complete breakdown of DOM in natural water samples is achieved by in-line UV-digestion using a 100 W medium pressure mercury vapour lamp and a silica coil, at a sample digestion time of 4.5 min. The efficiency of the system is tested with destruction of humic acid, conversion of Cr(III) to Cr(VI), and the release of Ni and Cu from organic complexes in sea water. The in-line application of UV is illustrated by automated voltammetry of nanomolar levels of Cu and Ni in samples from oceanic origin.