A 6000 year water level history of Europe Lake, Wisconsin, USA

Europe Lake occupies a small, closed, basin that would have been an embayment in Lake Michigan during the high water level events in the larger lake. Cores recovered from the lake reveal late Holocene water level fluctuations in the basin that are inferred from changes in taxa and abundance of molluscs, ostracodes, magnetic susceptibility, organic carbon, and oxygen isotopes.Non-glacial, Holocene lacustrine/paludal sedimentation in this portion of the Europe Lake basin started after 6600 RCYBP and was probably initiated by a rise in the water table of the deep bedrock aquifer, during the Nipissing transgression in Lake Michigan. Isotopically light ground water from this source was probably a major contributor during this phase to the negative ¹⁸O spikes in Valvata tricarinata and Amnicola limosa.The start of stable lacustrine conditions is marked by maximum diversity of ostracode and mollusc taxa and a shift toward much more positive ¹⁸O values. The Europe Lake basin at this time became an embayment of Lake Michigan. This event was probably coeval with the peak of the Nipissing transgression, when the water plane reached an altitude of about 183 m.The isolation of Europe Lake from Lake Michigan started at about 2390 RCYBP and is probably due to a drop in water level in Lake Michigan and/or to isostatic uplift of the Door Peninsula. Since isolation from Lake Michigan, water levels in Europe lake have been controlled primarily by fluctuations in local precipitation, evaporation and ground water discharge.     

Colloid transport and distribution in the hyporheic zone

Colloids moving from the stream into the hyporheic zone may have a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems as they are potential contaminants or carriers of contaminants. Moreover, retained colloids in the hyporheic zone could not only reduce the exchange flux between the stream and streambed but also change the conditions of the bed, affecting the habitats for aquatic organisms. Previous studies focused on the exchange flux across the sediment–water interface, but the colloid transport processes and distribution of retained colloids in the streambed have received little attention. We conducted experiments within a laboratory flume to examine these processes in a streambed driven by bedform‐induced hyporheic flow. Retained colloids measured in the bed at the end of the experiments revealed colloid retention mainly in the shallow layer of hyporheic zone (0–5 cm below the interface). The results demonstrated significant effects of particle trapping and settling on the colloid transport and distribution in the streambed. Retention leads to the formation of a colloid‐filled shallow layer in the bed. Particle paths based on model simulations showed that colloid settling in pore water modifies the direction of colloid transport and allows the colloid particles to move more deeply in the bed.     

Content driving exposure and attention to tweets during local,high-impact weather events

Natural Hazards - The use of Twitter to disseminate weather information presents need for the analysis of what types of messages, and specifically warning messages, incur exposure and attention....     

Tuned vibration absorbers with dry friction damping

The response of a linear SDOF system subjected to harmonic excitation to which a Tuned Vibration Absorber with linear stiffness and dry friction damping is attached is considered. Based on an intuitive examination of the physical behaviour of the system, closed-form expressions for TMD optimum parameters and for the steady-state amplitudes of vibration are presented. Two examples allow the comparison between the predicted behaviour and that found by numerically integrating the equations of motion. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the use of caged Nucella lapillus to monitor changes to TBT hotspot areas: a trial in the River Tyne estuary (UK)

Caged dogwhelks (Nucella lapillus) and mussels (Mytilus edulis) were placed in situ at sites along the River Tyne (UK) in order to investigate the potential for monitoring any change in tributyltin (TBT) mediated effects. After 6 months the development of imposex was investigated in the dogwhelks and concentrations of TBT were determined in the whole tissues of both species. Sites within the estuary showed a high degree of imposex, whilst those at sites North and South of the estuary mouth exhibited significantly lower induction. Concentrations of TBT measured in the dogwhelk and mussel tissues showed the same pattern. The success of the caging technique, occurrence of imposex at other UK sites and the need for further monitoring at TBT impacted locations in the light of current international controls on the use of TBT-based antifouling paints on sea-going vessels are discussed.     

Mapping the archaeological soil archive of sand and gravel mineral reserves in Britain

Primary sand and gravel deposits in Britain play an important role in preserving our cultural heritage and are also a valuable aggregate resource. While an understanding of the extrinsic properties of the soil archive (such as pH, redox, groundwater) can provide a firstorder assessment of the potential risk to any archaeologically sensitive deposits, we have very poor definition of spatial variations in the extrinsic properties of soil that influence archaeological preservation at a regional and national scale. Developments in digital geological mapping, remote sensing, and geochemical survey data undertaken by the British Geological Survey (BGS) have, however, significantly extended capabilities in this respect and can potentially be used to provide a primary assessment of the sensitivity of the present soil archive and the potential risk from changes to the soil process on cultural material in areas earmarked for aggregate extraction. Two of the major factors affecting archaeological preservation—soil acidification and groundwater—can be mapped or predicted at scales of better than 1:50,000 across increasingly large parts of the country using a combination of regional hydrogeological, geophysical, and geochemical data. Additional data from site investigations may further refine preservation potential as a function of changes in redox potential and acidity. These data, maps and models can be used to (1) better establish a baseline for archaeological preservation at a regional and national scale and (2) improve our understanding of how the physical and chemical properties of the near surface environment can be managed to sustainably preserve archaeological materials in areas impacted by sand and gravel extraction. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.