Stable isotopic compositions of precipitation events from Kathmandu,southern slope of the Himalayas

Investigation of temporal variations in the stable δ^18O and δD isotopes from Kathmandu＇s precipitation events shows that the relatively enriched δ^18O and δD values in the winter （the dry season, dominated by the westerlies） were positively correlated with temperature, indicating a temperature effect controlling the changes of δ^18O and δD. However, the δ^18O and δD values were depleted in the summer （the wet season, dominated by the Indian monsoon）, which were negatively correlated with precipitation amount, indicating an amount effect. In addition, the comparison of stable isotopes in precipitation from Kathmandu and Mawlong （near the Bay of Bengal） shows that the overall trends of δ^18O and δD values at Kathmandu generally approximate those at Mawlong. However, there remain many differences between the details of the isotopic changes at Kathmandu versus those at Mawlong. Compared with those at Mawlong, the further rainout effect and the more intense lift effect of the oceanic moisture by the high mountains resulted in the more depleted δ^18O and δD values in summer precipitation at Kathmandu. A deuterium excess and the local meteoric water lines reveal that evaporation at Kathmandu exceeds that at Mawlong. The data also show that the Indian monsoon activities at Mawlong are more intense than those at Kathmandu.     

Possible in situ formation of meteoritic nanodiamonds in the early Solar System

Grains of dust that pre-date the Sun provide insights into their formation around other stars and into the early evolution of the Solar System. Nanodiamonds recovered from meteorites, which originate in asteroids, have been thought to be the most abundant type of presolar grain. If that is true, then nanodiamonds should be at least as abundant in comets, because they are thought to have formed further out in the early Solar System than the asteroid parent bodies, and because they should be more pristine. Here we report that nanodiamonds are absent or very depleted in fragile, carbon-rich interplanetary dust particles, some of which enter the atmosphere at speeds within the range of cometary meteors. One interpretation of the results is that some (perhaps most) nanodiamonds formed within the inner Solar System and are not presolar at all, consistent with the recent detection of nanodiamonds within the accretion discs of other young stars. An alternative explanation is that all meteoritic nanodiamonds are indeed presolar, but that their abundance decreases with heliocentric distance, in which case our understanding of large-scale transport and circulation within the early Solar System is incomplete.     

Diploidy and triploidy in the hybrid minnow,Phoxinus eos x Phoxinus neogaeus (Pisces: Cyprinidae)

Summary Two presumptive hybrid populations are examined. Nebraskan hybrids, all having allozymic F1 electromorphs, exist as both diploid (2n=50) and triploid (3n=75) forms. This supports the hypothesis of parthenogenesis as the mode of hybrid reproduction. The maximum number of nucleoli per cell is suggested as an indicator of ploidy level. In contrast, electrophoretic analysis of a postulated Mendelian hybrid population in Quebec failed to detect any allozymic heterozygotes or recombinants. A previous conclusion of introgressive hybridization in this population is not supported.This research was supported by the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund. We wish to thank Arthur Ostrowski for his generous assistance. Collection of the Quebec specimens was made possible through the kindness of Etienne Magnin. We acknowledge the Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, for providing research facilities.