Sedimentary parameters control the sulfur isotope composition of marine pyrite

Reconstructions of coupled carbon, oxygen, and sulfur cycles rely heavily on sedimentary pyrite sulfur isotope compositions (δ34Spyr). With a model of sediment diagenesis, paired with global datasets of sedimentary parameters, we show that the wide range of δ34Spyr (~100 per mil) in modern marine sediments arises from geographic patterns in the relative rates of diffusion, burial, and microbial reduction of sulfate. By contrast, the microbial sulfur isotope fractionation remains large and relatively uniform. Over Earth history, the effect of increasing seawater sulfate and oxygen concentrations on sulfate and sulfide transport and reaction may explain the corresponding increase observed in the δ34S offset between sulfate and pyrite. More subtle variations may be related to changes in depositional environments associated with sea level fluctuations and supercontinent cycles.

Deconvolving microbial and environmental controls on marine sedimentary pyrite sulfur isotope ratios

Reconstructions of past environmental conditions and biological activity are often based on bulk stable isotope proxies, which are inherently open to multiple interpretations. This is particularly true of the sulfur isotopic composition of sedimentary pyrite (δ34Spyr), which is used to reconstruct ocean-atmosphere oxidation state and track the evolution of several microbial metabolic pathways. We present a microanalytical approach to deconvolving the multiple signals that influence δ34Spyr, yielding both the unambiguous determination of microbial isotopic fractionation (εmic) and new information about depositional conditions. We applied this approach to recent glacial-interglacial sediments, which feature over 70‰ variations in bulk δ34Spyr across these environmental transitions. Despite profound environmental change, εmic remained essentially invariant throughout this interval and the observed range in δ34Spyr was instead driven by climate-induced variations in sedimentation.

Statistical Uncertainty in Paleoclimate Proxy Reconstructions

A quantitative analysis of any environment older than the instrumental record relies on proxies. Uncertainties associated with proxy reconstructions are often underestimated, which can lead to artificial conflict between different proxies, and between data and models. In this paper, using ordinary least squares linear regression as a common example, we describe a simple, robust and generalizable method for quantifying uncertainty in proxy reconstructions. We highlight the primary controls on the magnitude of uncertainty, and compare this simple estimate to equivalent estimates from Bayesian, nonparametric and fiducial statistical frameworks. We discuss when it may be possible to reduce uncertainties, and conclude that the unexplained variance in the calibration must always feature in the uncertainty in the reconstruction. This directs future research toward explaining as much of the variance in the calibration data as possible. We also advocate for a "data-forward" approach, that clearly decouples the presentation of proxy data from plausible environmental inferences.

Strong local, not global, controls on marine pyrite sulfur isotopes

Understanding variation in the sulfur isotopic composition of sedimentary pyrite (δ³⁴S_pyr) is motivated by the key role of sulfur biogeochemistry in regulating Earth's surface oxidation state. Until recently, the impact of local depositional conditions on δ³⁴S_pyr has remained underappreciated, and stratigraphic variations in δ³⁴S_pyr were interpreted mostly to reflect global changes in biogeochemical cycling. We present two coeval δ³⁴S_pyr records from shelf and basin settings in a single sedimentary system. Despite their proximity and contemporaneous deposition, these two records preserve radically different geochemical signals. Swings of ~65‰ in shelf δ³⁴S_pyr track short-term variations in local sedimentation and are completely absent from the abyssal record. In contrast, a long-term ~30‰ decrease in abyssal δ³⁴S_pyr reflects regional changes in ocean circulation and/or sustained pyrite formation. These results highlight strong local controls on δ³⁴S_pyr, calling for reevaluation of the current practice of using δ³⁴S_pyr stratigraphic variations to infer global changes in Earth's surface environment.

Oxygen isotope effects during microbial sulfate reduction: applications to sediment cell abundances

The majority of anaerobic biogeochemical cycling occurs within marine sediments. To understand these processes, quantifying the distribution of active cells and gross metabolic activity is essential. We present an isotope model rooted in thermodynamics to draw quantitative links between cell-specific sulfate reduction rates and active sedimentary cell abundances. This model is calibrated using data from a series of continuous culture experiments with two strains of sulfate reducing bacteria (freshwater bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris strain Hildenborough, and marine bacterium Desulfovibrio alaskensis strain G-20) grown on lactate across a range of metabolic rates and ambient sulfate concentrations. We use a combination of experimental sulfate oxygen isotope data and nonlinear regression fitting tools to solve for unknown kinetic, step-specific oxygen isotope effects. This approach enables identification of key isotopic reactions within the metabolic pathway, and defines a new, calibrated framework for understanding oxygen isotope variability in sulfate. This approach is then combined with porewater sulfate/sulfide concentration data and diagenetic modeling to reproduce measured ¹⁸O/¹⁶O in porewater sulfate. From here, we infer cell-specific sulfate reduction rates and predict abundance of active cells of sulfate reducing bacteria, the result of which is consistent with direct biological measurements.

Mapping the Tray of Electron Beam Melting of Ti-6Al-4V: Properties and Microstructure

Using an electron beam melting (EBM) printing machine (Arcam A2X, Sweden), a matrix of 225 samples (15 rows and 15 columns) of Ti-6Al-4V was produced. The density of the specimens across the tray in the as-built condition was approximately 99.9% of the theoretical density of the alloy, ρ_T. Tensile strength, tensile elongation, and fatigue life were studied for the as-built samples. Location dependency of the mechanical properties along the build area was observed. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) slightly increased the density to 99.99% of ρ_T but drastically improved the fatigue endurance and tensile elongation, probably due to the reduction in the size and the distribution of flaws. The microstructure of the as-built samples contained various defects (e.g., lack of fusion, porosity) that were not observed in the HIP-ed samples. HIP also reduced some of the location related variation in the mechanical properties values, observed in the as-printed condition.

Micro- and nano-spheres of low melting point metals and alloys, formed by ultrasonic cavitation

Metals and alloys of low melting points (<430 °C) can be melted in hot silicone oil to form two immiscible liquids. Irradiation of the system with ultrasonic energy induces acoustic cavitation in the oil, which disperses the molten metals into microspheres that solidify rapidly upon cooling. This method has been applied to seven pure metals (Ga, In, Sn, Bi, Pb, Zn, Hg) and two eutectic alloys of gold (Au-Ge and Au-Si). The morphology and composition of the resulting microspheres were examined by SEM and EDS. Eutectic Au-Si formed also crystalline Au nanoparticles, which were separated and studied by HRTEM.

Greenhouse warming by nitrous oxide and methane in the Proterozoic Eon

An anoxic, sulfidic ocean that may have existed during the Proterozoic Eon (0.54-2.4 Ga) would have had limited trace metal abundances because of the low solubility of metal sulfides. The lack of copper, in particular, could have had a significant impact on marine denitrification. Copper is needed for the enzyme that controls the final step of denitrification, from N(2) O to N(2) . Today, only about 5-6% of denitrification results in release of N(2) O. If all denitrification stopped at N(2) O during the Proterozoic, the N(2) O flux could have been 15-20 times higher than today, producing N(2) O concentrations of several ppmv, but only if O(2) levels were relatively high (>0.1 PAL). At lower O(2) levels, N(2) O is rapidly photodissociated. Methane concentrations may also have been elevated during this time, as has been previously suggested. A lack of dissolved O(2) and sulfate in the deep ocean could have produced a high methane flux from marine sediments, as much as 10-20 times today's methane flux from land. The photochemical lifetime of CH(4) increases as more CH(4) is added to the atmosphere, so CH(4) concentrations of up to 100 ppmv are possible during this time. The combined greenhouse effect of CH(4) and N(2) O could have provided up to 10° of warming, thereby keeping the surface warm during the Proterozoic without necessitating high CO(2) levels. A second oxygenation event near the end of the Proterozoic would have resulted in a reduction in both atmospheric N(2) O and CH(4) , perhaps triggering the Neoproterozoic "Snowball Earth" glaciations.

Pressure-Induced Invar Behavior in Pd3Fe

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, nuclear forward scattering (NFS) measurements, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on L1_{2}-ordered Pd3Fe. Measurements were performed at 300 K at pressures up to 33 GPa, and at 7 GPa at temperatures up to 650 K. The NFS revealed a collapse of the 57Fe magnetic moment between 8.9 and 12.3 GPa at 300 K, coinciding with a transition in bulk modulus found by XRD. Heating the sample under a pressure of 7 GPa showed negligible thermal expansion from 300 to 523 K, demonstrating Invar behavior. Zero-temperature DFT calculations identified a ferromagnetic ground state and showed several antiferromagnetic states had comparable energies at pressures above 20 GPa.

Absence of magnetism in hcp iron-nickel at 11 K

Synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy (SMS) was performed on an hcp-phase alloy of composition Fe92Ni8 at a pressure of 21 GPa and a temperature of 11 K. Density functional theoretical calculations predict antiferromagnetism in both hcp Fe and hcp Fe-Ni. For hcp Fe, these calculations predict no hyperfine magnetic field, consistent with previous experiments. For hcp Fe-Ni, however, substantial hyperfine magnetic fields are predicted, but these were not observed in the SMS spectra. Two possible explanations are suggested. First, small but significant errors in the generalized gradient approximation density functional may lead to an erroneous prediction of magnetic order or of erroneous hyperfine magnetic fields in antiferromagnetic hcp Fe-Ni. Alternately, quantum fluctuations with periods much shorter than the lifetime of the nuclear excited state would prohibit the detection of moments by SMS.

Isolation and properties of a major cellobiohydrolase from the cellulosome of Clostridium thermocellum

In the anaerobic, thermophilic, cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum, efficient solubilization of the insoluble cellulose substrate is accomplished largely through the action of a cellulose-binding multienzyme complex, the cellulosome. A major cellobiohydrolase activity from the cellulosome has been traced to its Mr 75,000 S8 subunit, and an active fragment of this subunit was prepared by a novel procedure involving limited proteolytic cleavage. The truncated Mr 68,000 fragment, termed S8-tr, was purified by gel filtration and high-performance ion-exchange chromatography. The purified protein adsorbed weakly to amorphous cellulose, and its enzymatic action yielded cellobiose as the major end product from both amorphous and crystalline cellulose preparations. The high ratio of exo- to endo-beta-glucanase activities was supported by viscosimetric measurements. The use of model substrates showed that the smallest cellodextrin to be degraded was cellotetraose, but cellopentaose was degraded at a much greater rate. Cellobiose dramatically inhibited the cellulolytic activities. In the absence of calcium or other bivalent metal ions, both the truncated cellobiohydrolase activity of S8-tr and the true cellulase activity of the parent cellulosome were relatively unstable at temperatures above 50 degrees C. Cysteine further enhanced the stabilizing effect of calcium. This is the first report of a defined cellobiohydrolase in C. thermocellum. Its association with the cellulosome and the correspondence of several of their major distinctive properties suggest that this cellobiohydrolase plays a key role in the solubilization of cellulose by the intact cellulosomal complex.