In this article by Snaith (p. 575) appears the following comment:
... these transgressive elements [...] can be located by means of the Adams operations [...]. These operate (unstably) in both the algebraic and geometric spectral sequences and for $k = \mathbf Z$ or $\mathbf Q$ effectively strengthen the 'weak' $\mathbf Z \times \mathbf Z_2$ grading [on a Rothenberg–Steenrod spectral sequence] to a $\mathbf Z \times \mathbf Z$ grading.
I thought I understood what the Adams operations are, but I definitely don't understand this. What is he talking about?