Overview of the oxygen isotope systematics of land snails from North America

2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 329-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yurena Yanes ◽  
Nasser M. Al-Qattan ◽  
Jason A. Rech ◽  
Jeffrey S. Pigati ◽  
Justin P. Dodd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Land Snails ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Global Coverage ◽  
Meteoric Precipitation ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Isotope Systematics

AbstractContinental paleoclimate proxies with near-global coverage are rare. Land snail δ18O is one of the few proxies abundant in Quaternary sediments ranging from the tropics to the high Arctic tundra. However, its application in paleoclimatology remains difficult, attributable in part to limitations in published calibration studies. Here we present shell δ18O of modern small (<10 mm) snails across North America, from Florida (30°N) to Manitoba (58°N), to examine the main climatic controls on shell δ18O at a coarse scale. This transect is augmented by published δ18O values, which expand our coverage from Jamaica (18°N) to Alaska (64°N). Results indicate that shell δ18O primarily tracks the average annual precipitation δ18O. Shell δ18O increases 0.5–0.7‰ for every 1‰ increase in precipitation δ18O, and 0.3–0.7‰ for every 1°C increase in temperature. These relationships hold true when all taxa are included regardless of body size (ranging from ~1.6 to ~58 mm), ecology (herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores), or behavior (variable seasonal active periods and mobility habits). Future isotopic investigations should include calibration studies in tropical and high-latitude settings, arid environments, and along altitudinal gradients to test if the near linear relationship between shell and meteoric precipitation δ18O observed on a continental scale remains significant.

scholarly journals A Global Synthesis Inversion Analysis of Recent Variability in CO<sub>2</sub> Fluxes Using GOSAT and In Situ Observations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Wang ◽  
S. Randolph Kawa ◽  
G. James Collatz ◽  
Motoki Sasakawa ◽  
Luciana V. Gatti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The precise contribution of the two major sinks for anthropogenic CO2 emissions, terrestrial vegetation and the ocean, and their location and year-to-year variability are not well understood. Top-down estimates of the spatiotemporal variations in emissions and uptake of CO2 are expected to benefit from the increasing measurement density brought by recent in situ and remote CO2 observations. We uniquely apply a batch Bayesian synthesis inversion at relatively high resolution to in situ surface observations and bias-corrected GOSAT satellite column CO2 retrievals to deduce the global distributions of natural CO2 fluxes during 2009–2010. Our objectives include evaluating bottom-up prior flux estimates, assessing the value added by the satellite data, and examining the impacts of inversion technique and assumptions on posterior fluxes and uncertainties. The GOSAT inversion is generally better constrained than the in situ inversion, with smaller posterior regional flux uncertainties and correlations, because of greater spatial coverage, except over North America and high-latitude ocean. Complementarity of the in situ and GOSAT data enhances uncertainty reductions in a joint inversion; however, spatial and temporal gaps in sampling still limit the ability to accurately resolve fluxes down to the sub-continental scale. The GOSAT inversion produces a shift in the global CO2 sink from the tropics to the north and south relative to the prior, and an increased source in the tropics of ~ 2 Pg C y−1 relative to the in situ inversion, similar to what is seen in studies using other inversion approaches. This result may be driven by sampling and residual retrieval biases in the GOSAT data, as suggested by significant discrepancies between posterior CO2 distributions and surface in situ and HIPPO mission aircraft data. While the shift in the global sink appears to be a robust feature of the inversions, the partitioning of the sink between land and ocean in the inversions using either in situ or GOSAT data is found to be sensitive to prior uncertainties because of negative correlations in the flux errors. The GOSAT inversion indicates significantly less CO2 uptake in summer of 2010 than in 2009 across northern regions, consistent with the impact of observed severe heat waves and drought. However, observations from an in situ network in Siberia imply that the GOSAT inversion exaggerates the 2010–2009 difference in uptake in that region, while the prior CASA-GFED model of net ecosystem production and fire emissions reasonably estimates that quantity. The prior, in situ posterior, and GOSAT posterior all indicate greater uptake over North America in spring to early summer of 2010 than in 2009, consistent with wetter conditions. The GOSAT inversion does not show the expected impact on fluxes of a 2010 drought in the Amazon; evaluation of posterior mole fractions against local aircraft profiles suggests that time-varying GOSAT coverage can bias estimation of flux interannual variability in this region.

Environmental significance of 13C/12C and 18O/16O ratios of modern land-snail shells from the southern great plains of North America

2005 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meena Balakrishnan ◽  
Crayton J. Yapp ◽  
James L. Theler ◽  
Brian J. Carter ◽  
Don G. Wyckoff
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Land Snails ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Southern Great Plains ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Neighborhood Scale

13C/12C and 18O/16O ratios of aragonite shells of modern land snails from the southern Great Plains of North America were measured for samples from twelve localities in a narrow east–west corridor that extended from the Flint Hills in North Central Oklahoma to the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Northern New Mexico, USA. Across the study area, shell δ18O values (PDB scale) ranged from −4.1‰ to 1.2‰, while δ13C values ranged from −13.2‰ to 0.0‰. δ18O values of the shell aragonite were predicted with a published, steady state, evaporative flux balance model. The predicted values differed (with one exception) by less than 1‰ from locality averages of measured δ18O values. This similarity suggests that relative humidity at the time of snail activity is an important control on the δ18O values of the aragonite and emphasizes the seasonal nature of the climatic information preserved in the shells. Correlated δ13C values of coexisting Vallonia and Gastrocopta suggest similar feeding habits and imply that these genera can provide information on variations in southern Great Plains plant ecology. Although there is considerable scatter, multispecies, transect average δ13C values of the modern aragonite shells are related to variations in the type of photosynthesis (i.e., C3, C4) in the local plant communities. The results of this study emphasize the desirability of obtaining isotope ratios representing averages of many shells in a locale to reduce possible biases associated with local variations among individuals, species, etc., and thus better represent the “neighborhood” scale temporal and/or spatial environmental variations of interest in studies of modern and ancient systems.

Carbon sources for lake food webs in the Canadian High Arctic and other regions of Arctic North America

Polar Biology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1111-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Chételat ◽  
Louise Cloutier ◽  
Marc Amyot
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Canadian High Arctic

Further Notes on Structural Types and Earth Movements

1931 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
J. S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
North America ◽  
Critical Points ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Structural Types ◽  
Tectonic Features ◽  
Geological Magazine

In a previous paper published in the Geological Magazine, the writer made an attempt to discuss the mechanism of earth movement on a continental scale purely from a tectonic point of view. The problem is so vast and involved that some of the vital points were hardly touched upon, partly because of lack of space and partly of literature. The arrival of the admirable works of Dr. A. du Toit and Dr. E. Krenkel has enabled the writer to deduce the mechanism of the movements of South Africa directly from its tectonic features, which process is thought to be far more reliable than the type of argument used in the previous case although the results arrived at are essentially the same. The earlier movements in North America are now seen to furnish evidence of the same type of mechanism as that which staged the later movements. An epsilon type of structure has been recognized in Eastern China, which was then described as a mere arc. The problem of the distribution of concealed coalfields in England was in the previous paper barely touched upon. It is now proposed to consider some of the critical points bearing on the problem.

Justicia wasshausenii, a new name for Justicia andersonii Wasshausen (Acanthaceae)

Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 213 (1) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Kottai Muthu
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Far North ◽  
New Name ◽  
The Tropics

Justicia Linnaeus (1753: 15) is the largest genus of Acanthaceae (Wasshausen 2002). It comprises about 600 species (Graham 1988), distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres, extending into the temperate regions of North America, with one species found as far north as Quebec in Canada (Wasshausen 1992a). In Brazil, the genus is represented by 128 species (Profice et al. 2015). Among them, Justicia andersonii Wasshausen (1992b: 666) is an illegitimate name, as it is a later homonym of J. andersonii Ramamoorthy (1976: 551). Therefore a new name, J. wasshausenii, is proposed as a replacement name for J. andersonii.

Dispersal, home-range size, and habitat use of an endangered land snail, the Oregon forestsnail (Allogona townsendiana)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 875-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.B. Edworthy ◽  
K.M.M. Steensma ◽  
H.M. Zandberg ◽  
P.L. Lilley
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Land Snails ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Maximum Displacement

Terrestrial molluscs have declined globally, often as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. Many land snails are poor dispersers and exist in isolated habitat patches. The Oregon forestsnail ( Allogona townsendiana (I. Lea, 1838)) coincides with the most densely populated region of British Columbia and is listed as endangered in Canada. To investigate the dispersal distances and habitat-use patterns of Oregon forestsnails, we tagged and tracked 21 adult snails at Langley, British Columbia, for up to 3 years (2005–2008). The maximum daily dispersal distance for a snail was 4.5 m and the maximum displacement that we observed for a snail was 32.2 m during 3 years. Snails occupied home-range areas of 18.4–404.4 m2, often overlapping both forest and meadow habitat. Their home-range sizes were smaller in habitats with high availability of stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica L.), which may be an indicator of high-quality habitat. Our results suggest that the Oregon forestsnail is a relatively sedentary species with limited dispersal ability in its adult stage. Although Oregon forestsnails are likely unable to colonize suitable habitat independently, remnant forest–meadow mosaic patches such as our study site provide valuable habitat for Oregon forestsnail, which are supplementary to large tracts of intact forest where most of their populations are found.

scholarly journals Drought Relief and Reversal over North America from 1500 to 2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-107
Author(s):  
M. C. A. Torbenson ◽  
D. W. Stahle ◽  
I. M. Howard ◽  
D. J. Burnette ◽  
D. Griffin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
North America ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Cool Season ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
The North ◽  
Drought Relief

Abstract Season-to-season persistence of soil moisture drought varies across North America. Such interseasonal autocorrelation can have modest skill in forecasting future conditions several months in advance. Because robust instrumental observations of precipitation span less than 100 years, the temporal stability of the relationship between seasonal moisture anomalies is uncertain. The North American Seasonal Precipitation Atlas (NASPA) is a gridded network of separately reconstructed cool-season (December–April) and warm-season (May–July) precipitation series and offers new insights on the intra-annual changes in drought for up to 2000 years. Here, the NASPA precipitation reconstructions are rescaled to represent the long-term soil moisture balance during the cool season and 3-month-long atmospheric moisture during the warm season. These rescaled seasonal reconstructions are then used to quantify the frequency, magnitude, and spatial extent of cool-season drought that was relieved or reversed during the following summer months. The adjusted seasonal reconstructions reproduce the general patterns of large-scale drought amelioration and termination in the instrumental record during the twentieth century and are used to estimate relief and reversals for the most skillfully reconstructed past 500 years. Subcontinental-to-continental-scale reversals of cool-season drought in the following warm season have been rare, but the reconstructions display periods prior to the instrumental data of increased reversal probabilities for the mid-Atlantic region and the U.S. Southwest. Drought relief at the continental scale may arise in part from macroscale ocean–atmosphere processes, whereas the smaller-scale regional reversals may reflect land surface feedbacks and stochastic variability.

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