Forced by tides and waves, large volumes of seawater are flushed through the beach daily. Organic material and nutrients in seawater are remineralized and cycled as they pass through the beach. Microorganisms are responsible for most of the biogeochemical cycling in the beach; however, few studies have characterized their diversity in intertidal sands, and little work has characterized the exte...

[1] Sediment cores from the intertidal zone of Waquoit Bay (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) yielded iron oxide-coated sands in the subterranean estuary, which underlies the head of the bay. The oxides were dark red, yellow and orange colors and are formed by the oxidation of ferrous iron-rich groundwater near the groundwaterseawater interface. Within these iron oxide-rich sediments, the concentration ...

Consolidated-drained triaxial compression tests were conducted to compare the stress-strain and volume change response of sands and clayey sands reinforced with discrete randomly distributed poly-propylene fibers. The influence of various test parameters such as fiber content (0.0%, 0.5% and 1.0% by weight), clay content (0%, 10% and 20% by weight), relative density (50% and 90%) and confining ...

To increase the knowledge and exploit new resources beyond Earth, planetary surface exploration on Moon or Mars attracts significant attention around globe. Due to fact that these surfaces are widely covered by soil-like materials, various structures of rovers have been proposed adapt terrains. Nonetheless, traditional rover structures, such as wheeled leg-wheeled, shown limitations in moving g...

Rice College junior Mohit Bawa and WRC sophomore Lang Fuqua were both injured after they fell from the back of a Ford Bronco on the Inner Loop last Saturday evening. They had apparently been standing on the tailgate of the truck during halftime of the Rice-Texas Tech University game. Accordingto Campus Police Chief Mary Voswinkel, the truck was moving too quickly as it turned the comer between ...

When are evolutionary outcomes predictable? Cases of convergent evolution can shed light on when, why, and how different species exhibit shared evolutionary trajectories. In particular, studying diverse species in a common environment can illuminate how different factors facilitate or constrain adaptive evolution. Here we integrate studies of pattern and process in the fauna at White Sands (New...

For over a decade, the contribution of oil sands mining and processing to the pollution of the Athabasca River has been controversial. We show that the oil sands development is a greater source of contamination than previously realized. In 2008, within 50 km of oil sands upgrading facilities, the loading to the snowpack of airborne particulates was 11,400 T over 4 months and included 391 kg of ...

Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are nearly ubiquitous in California (CA) beach sands. Sands were collected from 55 beaches along the CA coast. Ninety-one percent of the beaches had detectable enterococci (ENT) while 62% had detectable E. coli (EC) in their sands. The presence of a putative bacterial source (such as a river), the degree of wave shelter, and surrounding land use explained a signif...

Nitrogen usually gets the most attention when it comes to fertilization, and there are good reasons for that. It's the nutrient with the most visual effect and results in the greatest effects to the plant. However potassium (K) is also essential, as is phosphorous (P). We all know how to apply nitrogen using the range of fertilizer sources available today to superintendents and field managers. ...

It is widely considered that the continued development and production of Alberta’s oil sands deposits is on track to be the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada over the next few decades. As recent developments suggest, failure to address the issue of GHG emissions growth might jeopardize the potential for sustained expansion of oil sands operations in Alberta. Wit...