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Hausmannite (Mn 3 O 4 ) conversion to manganite (γ-MnOOH) in dilute oxalate solution

Oxalic acid retards the alteration of Mn3O4 to γ-MnOOH during aging at pH 7.4 ?? 0.2 in well-aerated, abiotic suspensions that contain 4.4 ?? 10-3 M total Mn. In solutions of 1.25 ?? 10-3 M oxalate and greater, about 15% of the initial Mn3O4 altered to ??-MnOOH by day 10, and in solutions of 6.7 ?? 10-4 M oxalate, about 45% altered to ??-MnOOH by day 67. Although precipitation continued through day 365, the degree of conversion remained the same as at day 10 and day 67, respectively. In oxalate-free suspensions, the conversion was about 80% complete by day 67 and 100% by day 109. Oxalate complexed most of the dissolved divalent Mn, lowered the free Mn(II) and MnSO40 concentrations, but increased the total dissolved Mn. Steric hindrance of surface reactions by a suggested manganese oxalate layer on the Mn3O4 surface may explain the blockage of the oxidation cycle.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

Influences of specific land use/land cover conversions on climatological normals of near-surface temperature

Quantification of the effects of land use/land cover (LULC) changes on proximal measurements of near-surface air temperature is crucial to a better understanding of natural and anthropogenically induced climate change. In this study, data from stations utilized in deriving U.S. climatological temperature normals were analyzed in conjunction with NCEP-NCAR 50-Year Reanalysis (NNR) estimates and highly accurate LULC change maps in order to isolate the effects of LULC change from other climatological factors. While the “Normals” temperatures exhibited considerable warming in both minima and maxima, the NNR data revealed that the majority of the warming of maximum temperatures was not due to nearby LULC change. Warming of minimum temperatures was roughly evenly split between the effects of LULC change and other influences. Furthermore, the effects of LULC change varied considerably depending upon the particular type of land cover conversion that occurred. Urbanization, in particular, was found to result in warming of minima and maxima, while some LULC conversions that might be expected to have significantly altered nearby temperatures (e.g., clear-cutting of forests) did not.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗

On the conversion of tritium units to mass fractions for hydrologic applications

We develop a general equation for converting laboratory-reported tritium levels, expressed either as concentrations (tritium isotope number fractions) or mass-based specific activities, to mass fractions in aqueous systems. Assuming that all tritium is in the form of monotritiated water simplifies the derivation and is shown to be reasonable for most environmental settings encountered in practice. The general equation is nonlinear. For tritium concentrations c less than 4.5×10 12 tritium units (TU) - i.e. specific tritium activities<5.3×10 11 Bq kg -1 - the mass fraction w of tritiated water is approximated to within 1 part per million by w ≈ c×2.22293×10 -18 , i.e. the conversion is linear for all practical purposes. Terrestrial abundances serve as a proxy for non-tritium isotopes in the absence of sample-specific data. Variation in the relative abundances of non-tritium isotopes in the terrestrial hydrosphere produces a minimum range for the mantissa of the conversion factor of [2.22287; 2.22300].

Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies↗

Conversion of sagebrush shrublands to exotic annual grasslands negatively impacts small mammal communities

Aim The exotic annual cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is fast replacing sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) communities throughout the Great Basin Desert and nearby regions in the Western United States, impacting native plant communities and altering fire regimes, which contributes to the long-term persistence of this weedy species. The effect of this conversion on native faunal communities remains largely unexamined. We assess the impact of conversion from native perennial to exotic annual plant communities on desert rodent communities. Location Wyoming big sagebrush shrublands and nearby sites previously converted to cheatgrass-dominated annual grasslands in the Great Basin Desert, Utah, USA. Methods At two sites in Tooele County, Utah, USA, we investigated with Sherman live trapping whether intact sagebrush vegetation and nearby converted Bromus tectorum-dominated vegetation differed in rodent abundance, diversity and community composition. Results Rodent abundance and species richness were considerably greater in sagebrush plots than in cheatgrass-dominated plots. Nine species were captured in sagebrush plots; five of these were also trapped in cheatgrass plots, all at lower abundances than in the sagebrush. In contrast, cheatgrass-dominated plots had no species that were not found in sagebrush. In addition, the site that had been converted to cheatgrass longer had lower abundances of rodents than the site more recently converted to cheatgrass-dominated plots. Despite large differences in abundances and species richness, Simpson's D diversity and Shannon-Wiener diversity and Brillouin evenness indices did not differ between sagebrush and cheatgrass-dominated plots. Main conclusions This survey of rodent communities in native sagebrush and in converted cheatgrass-dominated vegetation suggests that the abundances and community composition of rodents may be shifting, potentially at the larger spatial scale of the entire Great Basin, where cheatgrass continues to invade and dominate more landscape at a rapid rate. ?? 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Diversity and Distributions↗

Has the conversion of natural wetlands to agricultural land increased the incidence and severity of damaging freezes in south Florida?

On several occasions, winter freezes have wrought severe destruction on Florida agriculture. A series of devastating freezes around the turn of the twentieth century, and again during the 1980s, were related to anomalies in the large-scale flow of the ocean–atmosphere system. During the twentieth century, substantial areas of wetlands in south Florida were drained and converted to agricultural land for winter fresh vegetable and sugarcane production. During this time, much of the citrus industry also was relocated to those areas to escape the risk of freeze farther to the north. The purpose of this paper is to present a modeling study designed to investigate whether the conversion of the wetlands to agriculture itself could have resulted in or exacerbated the severity of recent freezes in those agricultural areas of south Florida. For three recent freeze events, a pair of simulations was undertaken with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System. One member of each pair employed land surface properties that represent pre-1900s (near natural) land cover, whereas the other member of each pair employed data that represent near-current land-use patterns as derived from analysis of Landsat data valid for 1992/93. These two different land cover datasets capture well the conversion of wetlands to agriculture in south Florida during the twentieth century. Use of current land surface properties resulted in colder simulated minimum temperatures and temperatures that remained below freezing for a longer period at locations of key agricultural production centers in south Florida that were once natural wetlands. Examination of time series of the surface energy budget from one of the cases reveals that when natural land cover is used, a persistent moisture flux from the underlying wetlands during the nighttime hours served to prevent the development of below-freezing temperatures at those same locations. When the model results were subjected to an important sensitivity factor, the depth of standing water in the wetlands, the outcome remained consistent. These results provide another example of the potential for humans to perturb the climate system in ways that can have severe socioeconomic consequences by altering the land surface alone.

Monthly Weather Review↗

Growth, survival and food conversion of Atlantic salmon reared at four different densities with common water quality

Our objective was to determine the maximum effective rearing density for Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) at 17.5°C, a temperature typically used in hatcheries to accelerate growth. We reared 5.8‐g (mean weight) parr for 80 d to final rearing densities of 14–55 kg/m 2 (rearing unit bottom area) or 80–310 kg/m 3 (rearing unit volume). Weight gain was slightly depressed in fish at a final rearing density of 26 kg/m 2 (146 kg/m 3 ), but mortality, food conversion, and gain in length were not affected. At densities greater than 26 kg/m 2 , fish growth was slower and food conversion was higher, but mortality was unaffected. Atlantic salmon may be reared at 17.5°C to densities of at least 14 kg/m 2 (80 kg/m 3 ) without adverse effects on growth and health, but final rearing densities should not exceed 26 kg/m 2 .

Progressive Fish-Culturist↗

Effects of rearing density and raceway conformation on growth, food conversion, and survival of juvenile spring chinook salmon

Four brood years of juvenile spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were reared in conventional and baffled raceways at various rearing densities and loads at Willamette Hatchery, Oregon. A period of rapid linear growth occurred from August to November, but there was little or no growth from November to March when the fish were released. Both fall and winter growth rates were inversely related to rearing density. Final weight and length were also inversely related to rearing density. No significant relationship between load and any growth variable was observed. Fish reared at lower densities in conventional raceways tended to develop bimodal length distributions in winter and early spring. Fish reared in conventional raceways showed significantly larger growth rates and final lengths and weights than those reared in baffled raceways. Food conversions and average delivery times for feed were significantly greater in baffled than in conventional raceways. No significant relationships were observed between either rearing density or load and condition factor, food conversion, or mortality. Mortality was not significantly different between the two raceway types. When fish were transported to seawater for further rearing, there were no significant relationships between mortality in seawater and rearing density or load, but fish reared in baffled raceways had significantly higher mortality than those reared in conventional raceways.

Progressive Fish-Culturist↗

Lessons learned from the 2022 CONVERSE Monogenetic Volcanism Response Scenario exercise

When volcanic unrest occurs, the scientific community can advance fundamental understanding of volcanic systems, but only with coordination before, during, and after the event across academic and governmental agencies. To develop a coordinated response plan, the Community Network for Volcanic Eruption Response (CONVERSE) orchestrated a scenario exercise centered around a hypothetical volcanic crisis in Arizona’s San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF). The exercise ran virtually from February 4 to March 4, 2022. Over 60 scientists from both academic and governmental spheres participated. The scenario exercise was assessed for its effectiveness in supporting collaborative production of knowledge, catalyzing transdisciplinary collaboration, supporting researcher confidence, and fostering a culture of inclusion within the volcanology community. This identified a need to support early career researchers through community and allyship. Overall, the 2022 CONVERSE exercise demonstrated how a fully remote, extended scenario can be authentically implemented and help broaden participation within the volcano science community.

Arizona↗

Chart of conversion factors: From English to metric system and metric to English system

The conversion factors in the following tables are for conversion of our customary (English) units of measurement to SI*units, and for convenience, reciprocals are shown for converting SI units back to the English system. The first table contains rule-of-thumb figures, useful for "getting the feel" of SI units or mental estimation. The succeeding tables contain factors accurate to 3 or more significant figures. Please refer to known reference volumes for additional accuracy, as well as for factors dealing with other scientific notation involving SI units.

General Information Product↗

A program for the conversion of The National Map data from proprietary format to resource description framework (RDF)

To expand data functionality and capabilities for users of The National Map of the U.S. Geological Survey, data sets for six watersheds and three urban areas were converted from the Best Practices vector data model formats to Semantic Web data formats. This report describes and documents the conver-sion process. The report begins with an introduction to basic Semantic Web standards and the background of The National Map. Data were converted from a proprietary format to Geog-raphy Markup Language to capture the geometric footprint of topographic data features. Configuration files were designed to eliminate redundancy and make the conversion more efficient. A SPARQL endpoint was established for data validation and queries. The report concludes by describing the results of the conversion.

Open-File Report↗

Vector data structure conversion at the EROS Data Center

With the increasing prevalence of GIS systems and the processing of spatial data, conversion of data from one system to another has become a more serious problem. This report describes the approach taken to arrive at a solution at the EROS Data Center. The report consists of a main section and a number of appendices. The methodology is described in the main section, while the appendices have system specific descriptions. The overall approach is based on a central conversion hub consisting of a relational database manager and associated tools, with a standard data structure for the transfer of spatial data. This approach is the best compromise between the two goals of reducing the overall interfacing effort and producing efficient system interfaces, while the tools can be used to arrive at a progression of interface sophistication ranging from toolbench to smooth flow. The appendices provide detailed information on a number of spatial data handling systems and data structures and existing interfaces as well as interfaces developed with the described methodology.

Open-File Report↗

Estimating the Effects of Conversion of Agricultural Land to Urban Land on Deep Percolation of Irrigation Water in the Grand Valley, Western Colorado

The conversion of agricultural land to urban residential land is associated with rapid population growth in the Grand Valley of western Colorado. Information regarding the effects of this land-use conversion on deep percolation, irrigation-water application, and associated salt loading to the Colorado River is needed to support water-resource planning and conservation efforts. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assessed deep percolation and estimated salt loading derived from irrigated agricultural lands in the Grand Valley in a 1985 to 2002 monitoring and evaluation study (NRCS M&E). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado River Salinity Control Forum and the Mesa Conservation District, quantified the current (2005-2006) deep percolation and irrigation-water application characteristics of 1/4-acre residential lots and 5-acre estates, urban parks, and urban orchard grass fields in the Grand Valley, and compared the results to NRCS M&E results from alfalfa-crop sites. In addition, pond seepage from three irrigation-water holding ponds was estimated. Salt loading was estimated for the urban study results and the NRCS M&E results by using standard salt-loading factors. A daily soil-moisture balance calculation technique was used at all urban study irrigated sites. Deep percolation was defined as any water infiltrating below the top 12 inches of soil. Deep percolation occurred when the soil-moisture balance in the first 12 inches of soil exceeded the field capacity for the soil type at each site. Results were reported separately for urban study bluegrass-only sites and for all-vegetation type (bluegrass, native plants, and orchard grass) sites. Deep percolation and irrigation-water application also were estimated for a complete irrigation season at three subdivisions by using mean site data from each subdivision. It was estimated that for the three subdivisions, 37 percent of the developed acreage was irrigated (the balance being impermeable surfaces).

Scientific Investigations Report↗

The potential of wave energy conversion to mitigate coastal erosion from hurricanes

Wave energy conversion technologies have recently attracted more attention as part of global efforts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy resources. While ocean waves can provide renewable energy, they can also be destructive to coastal areas that are often densely populated and vulnerable to coastal erosion. There have been a variety of efforts to mitigate the impacts of wave- and storm-induced erosion; however, they are either temporary solutions or approaches that are not able to adapt to a changing climate. This study explores a green and sustainable approach to mitigating coastal erosion from hurricanes through wave energy conversion. A barrier island, Dauphin Island, off the coast of Alabama, is used as a test case. The potential use of wave energy converter farms to mitigate erosion due to hurricane storm surges while simultaneously generating renewable energy is explored through simulations that are forced with storm data using the XBeach model. It is shown that wave farms can impact coastal morphodynamics and have the potential to reduce dune and beach erosion, predominantly in the western portion of the island. The capacity of wave farms to influence coastal morphodynamics varies with the storm intensity.

Alabama↗

Assessing transmissible spongiform encephalopathy species barriers with an in vitro prion protein conversion assay

Studies to understanding interspecies transmission of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs, prion diseases) are challenging in that they typically rely upon lengthy and costly in vivo animal challenge studies. A number of in vitro assays have been developed to aid in measuring prion species barriers, thereby reducing animal use and providing quicker results than animal bioassays. Here, we present the protocol for a rapid in vitro prion conversion assay called the conversion efficiency ratio (CER) assay. In this assay cellular prion protein (PrP C ) from an uninfected host brain is denatured at both pH 7.4 and 3.5 to produce two substrates. When the pH 7.4 substrate is incubated with TSE agent, the amount of PrP C that converts to a proteinase K (PK)-resistant state is modulated by the original host&rsquo;s species barrier to the TSE agent. In contrast, PrP C in the pH 3.5 substrate is misfolded by any TSE agent. By comparing the amount of PK-resistant prion protein in the two substrates, an assessment of the host&rsquo;s species barrier can be made. We show that the CER assay correctly predicts known prion species barriers of laboratory mice and, as an example, show some preliminary results suggesting that bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) may be susceptible to white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) chronic wasting disease agent.

Journal of Visualized Experiments↗

Forest to agriculture conversion in southern Belize: Implications for migrant land birds

Central America offers a suite of neotropical habitats vital to overwintering migrant land birds. The recent decline of many forest dwelling avian migrants is believed to be related in part to neotropical deforestation and land use change. However, spatio-temporal trends in neotropical habitat availability and avian migrant habitat use are largely unknown. Such information is needed to assess the impact of agriculture conversion on migrant land birds. In response, the USDI Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Maine began a cooperative study in 1988 which applies remote sensing and field surveys to determine current habitat availability and avian migrant habitat use. Study sites include areas in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala and southern Mexico. Visual assessment of Landsat TM imagery indicates southern Belize forests are fragmented by various agricultural systems. Shifting agriculture is predominant in some areas, while permanent agriculture (citrus and mixed animal crops) is the primary system in others. This poster focuses on efforts to monitor forest to agriculture conversion in southern Belize using remote sensing, field surveys and GIS techniques. Procedures and avian migrant use of habitat are summarized.

Book chapter↗

Magnitude conversion and earthquake recurrence rate models for the central and eastern United States

Development of Seismic Source Characterization (SSC) models, which is an essential part of Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analyses (PSHA), can help forecast the temporal and spatial distribution of future damaging earthquakes (𝑀 w ≥ 5) in seismically active regions. Because it is impossible to associate all earthquakes with known faults, seismic source models for PSHA often include sources of diffuse seismicity in which future earthquake scenarios are not localized on mapped faults. These sources of diffuse seismicity are referred to as area source zones, distributed seismicity zones, or just source zones. During the early years of PSHA studies, it was assumed that earthquakes in seismotectonic zones have (1) uniform spatial distribution, (2) Poisson temporal distribution, and (3) exponential magnitude distribution (NRC, 2012). In seismically active regions (e.g., the Western United States), where active faults are readily identified, models of the spatial distribution of earthquakes include both the fault source geometries and the distributed seismicity (background) source zones. Source characterization of active faults is complemented by paleoseismic studies with estimates of earthquake magnitudes, dates of occurrences, and slip rates, which provide important information for PSHA studies. In the Central and Eastern United States (CEUS) very few Quaternary-active faults have the requisite information for use in PSHA (i.e., fault geometry and dimensions, event rates or slip rates, etc.), and we lack knowledge about the causative faults for most observed seismicity in the region. As a result, area source zones are frequently used in site-specific PSHA in the CEUS to represent diffuse seismicity that cannot be associated with faults. However, there are examples of active fault sources in the CEUS, such as the Meers fault, the Cheraw fault, and New Madrid region, where individual faults can be characterized. The source characterization models for background seismicity are based, to a large extent, on an assumption that spatial distribution of historical and recorded seismicity will not change substantially for time periods of interest for PSHA (approximately the next 50-100 years for engineered structures). Furthermore, studies such as those by Kafka (2007, 2009) found a correlation between the locations of small- to moderate-magnitude earthquakes and the locations of large-magnitude earthquakes, indicating that we can, with some level of confidence, use the spatial pattern of smaller earthquakes to forecast the future pattern of damaging earthquakes. Within background seismicity zones, the earthquake rate forecast is developed using spatial smoothing of the small to moderate magnitude events in earthquake catalogs. Different methodologies are used for this purpose and can predict varying distributions of seismicity rates. This in turn affects the results of a seismic hazard analysis. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) use different methods for computing spatially smoothed seismicity rates in the CEUS; the USGS uses kernel-based spatial smoothing methods in developing the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), and the method adopted in the Central and Eastern United States Seismic Source Characterization (CEUS-SSC) project is used when evaluating seismic hazard for nuclear power plant siting. These methods are described and the impact on seismic hazard are evaluated in this Research Information Letter (RIL). Another important input to estimating the rate of distributed seismicity is event magnitudes listed in earthquake catalogs. A substantial source of uncertainty in catalogs is the magnitude assigned to a given earthquake. Numerous different magnitude types exist, with each magnitude type computed in a different way. Therefore, for the sake of consistency, both the CEUS-SSC and the USGS NSHM have attempted to assemble a complete catalog with a uniform magnitude determination. To this end, moment magnitude, 𝑀 w , which is a physics-based measurement, has been adopted as the standard. However, 𝑀 w was not computed routinely until the past few decades. To address this issue, the CEUS-SSC conducted extensive analyses to determine conversion equations from which to take a routinely computed network (e.g., 𝑀 L or 𝑚 bLg ) and convert it into 𝑀 w . Another issue with using 𝑀 w is that it becomes increasingly difficult to compute for earthquakes with 𝑀 less than ~4. This study investigates the effects of moment magnitude estimation and spatial smoothing methods on estimation of the earthquake rate forecast and on seismic hazard. We investigate the validity of the magnitude conversion equations and their associated uncertainties by applying them to a case study for induced earthquakes in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, and summarize the use of the decay of the seismic coda to estimate 𝑀 w for small earthquakes (𝑀 w < 4. Furthermore, the study documents a comparison and assessment of background seismicity smoothing methods implemented by the USGS for the NSHM and used by the CEUS-SSC for siting nuclear facilities based on probabilistic seismic hazard estimates from multiple source zones in the CEUS and for multiple sites.

central and eastern United States↗

Comprehensive inter-laboratory calibration of reference materials for δ18O versus VSMOW using various on-line high-temperature conversion techniques

Internationally distributed organic and inorganic oxygen isotopic reference materials have been calibrated by six laboratories carrying out more than 5300 measurements using a variety of high-temperature conversion techniques (HTC) in an evaluation sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). To aid in the calibration of these reference materials, which span more than 125‰, an artificially enriched reference water ( δ 18 O of +78.91‰) and two barium sulfates (one depleted and one enriched in 18 O) were prepared and calibrated relative to VSMOW2 and SLAP reference waters. These materials were used to calibrate the other isotopic reference materials in this study, which yielded: Reference material δ 18 O and estimated combined uncertainty IAEA-602 benzoic acid +71.28 ± 0.36‰ USGS35 sodium nitrate +56.81 ± 0.31‰ IAEA-NO-3 potassium nitrate +25.32 ± 0.29‰ IAEA-601 benzoic acid +23.14 ± 0.19‰ IAEA-SO-5 barium sulfate +12.13 ± 0.33‰ NBS 127 barium sulfate +8.59 ± 0.26‰ VSMOW2 water 0‰ IAEA-600 caffeine −3.48 ± 0.53‰ IAEA-SO-6 barium sulfate −11.35 ± 0.31‰ USGS34 potassium nitrate −27.78 ± 0.37‰ SLAP water −55.5‰ The seemingly large estimated combined uncertainties arise from differences in instrumentation and methodology and difficulty in accounting for all measurement bias. They are composed of the 3-fold standard errors directly calculated from the measurements and provision for systematic errors discussed in this paper. A primary conclusion of this study is that nitrate samples analyzed for δ 18 O should be analyzed with internationally distributed isotopic nitrates, and likewise for sulfates and organics. Authors reporting relative differences of oxygen-isotope ratios ( δ 18 O) of nitrates, sulfates, or organic material should explicitly state in their reports the δ 18 O values of two or more internationally distributed nitrates (USGS34, IAEA-NO-3, and USGS35), sulfates (IAEA-SO-5, IAEA-SO-6, and NBS 127), or organic material (IAEA-601 benzoic acid, IAEA-602 benzoic acid, and IAEA-600 caffeine), as appropriate to the material being analyzed, had these reference materials been analyzed with unknowns. This procedure ensures that readers will be able to normalize the δ 18 O values at a later time should it become necessary. The high-temperature reduction technique for analyzing δ 18 O and δ 2 H is not as widely applicable as the well-established combustion technique for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope determination. To obtain the most reliable stable isotope data, materials should be treated in an identical fashion; within the same sequence of analyses, samples should be compared with working reference materials that are as similar in nature and in isotopic composition as feasible.

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry↗

Applying the silver-tube introduction method for thermal conversion elemental analyses and a new δ 2 H value for NBS 22 oil

The δ 2 H VSMOW–SLAP value of total hydrogen of the international measurement standard NBS 22 oil was determined by a new method of sealing water in silver tubes for use in a thermal conversion elemental analysis (TC/EA) reduction unit. The isotopic fractionation of water due to evaporation is virtually non-existent in this silver-tube method. A new value for the δ 2 H VSMOW–SLAP of NBS 22 oil, calibrated with isotopic reference waters, was determined to be −116.9 ± 0.8‰ (1σ and n = 31).

Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry↗