The altitude effect of δ 18O in precipitation and river water in the Southern Himalayas

The lapse rate of water isotopes is used in the study of the hydrologic cycle as well as in the estimation of uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.The greater elevation contrast in the Southern Himalayas allows for a detailed discussion about this lapse rate.We analyze variations of 18δO in precipitation and river water between 1320 m and 6700 m elevations in the Southern Himalayas,and calculate the specific lapse rate of water 18δO.The results show that the multi-year average lapse rate in precipitation over this region is 0.15‰/100 m.The one-year average lapse rate is 0.17‰/100 m from three sites along the Southern Himalayas.The two results agree,but are much lower than the global average of 0.28‰/100 m.This work also shows that there is a difference in precipitation 18δO lapse rate between the monsoon and non-monsoon seasons.The calculated precipitation lapse rate is much lower than that in surface water.     

Geomicrobial functional groups: A window on the interaction between life and environments

Microbes are well-known for their great diversity and abundance in modern natural environments.They also are believed to pro-vide critical links among higher organisms and their associated environments.However,the low diversity of morphological fea-tures and structures of ancient microbes preserved in sediments and rocks make them difficult to identify and classify.This diffi-culty greatly hinders the investigation of geomicrobes throughout Earth history.Thus,most previous paleontological studies have focused on faunal and floral fossils.Here,geomicrobial functional groups(GFGs),or a collection of microbes featured in specific ecological,physiological or biogeochemical functions,are suggested to provide a way to overcome the difficulties of ancient mi-crobe investigations.GFGs are known for their great diversity in ecological,physiological and biogeochemical functions.In addi-tion,GFGs may be preserved as the biogeochemical,mineralogical and sedimentological records in sediments and rocks.We reviewed the functions,origins and identification diagnostics of some important GFGs involved in the elemental cycles of carbon,sulfur,nitrogen and iron.GFGs were further discussed with respect to their significant impacts on paleoclimate,sulfur chemistry of ancient seawater,nutritional status of geological environments,and the deposition of Precambrian banded iron formations.     

Levels and distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in the atmosphere close to Chinese Great Wall Station,Antarctica: Results from XAD-resin passive air sampling

Antarctica is an important research region for assessing persistence and long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). In this study, XAD-resin passive air sampling was conducted near the Chinese Great Wall Station, Antarctica, during a one-year sampling period in 2009-2010. The air concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were at a very low level, with total PCBs in the range of 26.74-45.08 pg m 3. PCB profiles were dominated by tetra-PCBs, tri-PCBs and di-PCBs, indicating LRAT was responsible for the pollutants in the Antarctic atmosphere. The sampling site near the Chinese Great Wall Station did not show higher PCB levels than the other sites, suggesting that PCB sources associated with the Great Wall Station were negligible. PCB-11 is a non-Aroclor congener, which has specific sources compared to other Aroclor PCB congeners. PCB-11 was observed in all air samples, with an average concentration of 1.22 pg m 3. To our knowledge, this study is the first investigation of PCB levels and distribution in the atmosphere around the Chinese Great Wall Station, Antarctica.