Coarse sediment transport in mountain streams in Colorado and Wyoming,USA

Since the early 1990s, US Forest Service researchers have made thousands of bedload measurements in steep, coarse‐grained channels in Colorado and Wyoming, USA. In this paper we use data from 19 of those sites to characterize patterns and rates of coarse sediment transport for a range of channel types and sizes, including step–pool, plane‐bed, pool–riffle, and near‐braided channels. This effort builds upon previous work where we applied a piecewise regression model to (1) relate flow to rates of bedload transport and (2) define phases of transport in coarse‐grained channels. Earlier, the model was tested using bedload data from eight sites on the Fraser Experimental Forest near Fraser, Colorado. The analysis showed good application to those data and to data from four supplementary channels to which the procedure was applied. The earlier results were, however, derived from data collected at sites that, for the most part, have quite similar geology and runoff regimes. In this paper we evaluate further the application of piecewise regression to data from channels with a wider range of geomorphic conditions. The results corroborate with those from the earlier work in that there is a relatively narrow range of discharges at which a substantial change in the nature of bedload transport occurs. The transition from primarily low rates of sand transport (phase I) to higher rates of sand and coarse gravel transport (phase II) occurs, on average, at about 80 per cent of the bankfull (1·5‐year return interval) discharge. A comparison of grain sizes moved during the two phases showed that coarse gravel is rarely trapped in the samplers during phase I transport. Moreover, the movement and capture of the D₁₆ to D₂₅ grain size of the bed surface seems to correspond with the onset of phase II transport, particularly in systems with largely static channel surfaces. However, while there were many similarities in observed patterns of bedload transport at the 19 studied sites, each had its own ‘bedload signal’ in that the rate and size of materials transported largely reflected the nature of flow and sediment particular to that system. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The oxidation state of manganese in marine sediments and ferromanganese nodules

Marine sediments and ferromanganese nodules from the Pacific Ocean have been analyzed for the $\text{O}\text{Mn}$ ratio of solid manganese. We tested six chemical methods and concluded that the iodometric and oxalate methods were equivalent and were the best choice in terms of accuracy and precision on natural samples. We choose the iodometric method for most of our analyses because the oxalate procedure is a method of differences.The ferromanganese nodules that we analyzed were all from MANOP site H and had $\text{Mn}\text{Fe}$ ratios that ranged from 5.6 to 70. These nodules were invariably highly oxidized with $\text{O}\text{Mn}$ values ranging from 1.90 to 2.00. Our most precise analyses suggest that less than 1% of the total manganese is present as Mn(II).We also analyzed red clay and hemipelagic sediments from the eastern tropical Pacific (Baja borderland and MANOP site H) and carbonate ooze samples from the equatorial Pacific. These sediments are also highly oxidized ($\text{O}\text{Mn}\text{= 1.90 to 2.00}$) except when Mn(II) appears in the interstitial water. As dissolved Mn(II) increases the value of the $\text{O}\text{Mn}$ ratio in the solid phase decreases. The $\text{O}\text{Mn}$ ratio decreases to values as low as 1.40. This decrease appears to be due to a decrease in oxidized manganese by reduction, however, an increase in reduced manganese in the solid sediments by adsorption or MnCO₃ formation can not be ruled out in all cases.     

Disaster Management and Community Planning, and Public Participation: How to Achieve Sustainable Hazard Mitigation

The paper offers first a brief historical overview of disaster management planning. Second, it reviews Australian and American research findings and show that they urge the field of disaster management to shift its focus from response and recovery to sustainable hazard mitigation. It is argued that in order for this shift to occur, it is necessary to integrate disaster management and community planning. Current practice seldom reflects such a synthesis, and this is one of the reasons why hazard awareness is absent from local decision-making processes. Third, it is asserted that if mitigative strategies are to be successfully implemented, then the disaster management process must incorporate public participation at the local decision-making level. The paper concludes with a case study of California's Portola Valley, which demonstrates that when public participation is integrated into disaster management planning and community planning, the result is sustainable hazard mitigation.     

The Re-Os Isotopic System: A Review of Analytical Techniques

Over the past twenty years, successive technological advances have transformed the Re-Os isotopic system into one of the most powerful tools in isotope geochemistry. We present here a brief historical review of these advances and then describe and compare the methods most commonly used today. Our goal is to facilitate the choice of the analytical method best adapted to each specific scientific problem and sample type.     

青藏高原西北缘晚新生代的隆升特征——来自西昆仑山前盆地的沉积学证据

对西昆仑北缘山前盆地新生代沉积特征的研究结果表明,沿西昆仑山前发育的各沉积序列的垂向特征相似:古新世—中新世早期为石膏层、含瓣腮化石的石灰岩和紫红色较细粒的碎屑岩沉积,指示了海相和海陆过渡相较平静的沉积环境;中新世晚期—上新世初期开始出现陆相磨拉石,指示了陆相非平静的沉积环境,砾石的直径由下至上呈增大趋势,可能反映了西昆仑山体不断隆升,其间相对稳定的层段可能是构造运动间歇期或平稳期的沉积,指示了脉动式的隆升模式;磨拉石底部砾石的成分以沉积岩为主,向上火成岩和变质岩砾石逐渐增多,表明剥蚀程度不断加深。根据磨拉石建造的特征,判断剥蚀量和剥蚀强度自西向东有减小和变弱的趋势,可能暗示了西昆仑山晚新生代隆升有自西向东由强变弱的过渡特征。该结论与本区构造地貌学的研究结果一致。     

Spatial correlation of shear-wave velocity in the San Francisco Bay Area sediments

Ground motions recorded within sedimentary basins are variable over short distances. One important cause of the variability is that local soil properties are variable at all scales. Regional hazard maps developed for predicting site effects are generally derived from maps of surficial geology; however, recent studies have shown that mapped geologic units do not correlate well with the average shear-wave velocity of the upper 30 m, V_s(30). We model the horizontal variability of near-surface soil shear-wave velocity in the San Francisco Bay Area to estimate values in unsampled locations in order to account for site effects in a continuous manner. Previous geostatistical studies of soil properties have shown horizontal correlations at the scale of meters to tens of meters while the vertical correlations are on the order of centimeters. In this paper we analyze shear-wave velocity data over regional distances and find that surface shear-wave velocity is correlated at horizontal distances up to 4 km based on data from seismic cone penetration tests and the spectral analysis of surface waves. We propose a method to map site effects by using geostatistical methods based on the shear-wave velocity correlation structure within a sedimentary basin. If used in conjunction with densely spaced shear-wave velocity profiles in regions of high seismic risk, geostatistical methods can produce reliable continuous maps of site effects.     

The Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS critical zone observatory M-TROPICS dataset III: Hydro-geochemical monitoring of the Mule Hole catchment,south India

Despite the importance of tropical ecosystems for climate regulation, biodiversity, water and nutrient cycles, only a few Critical Zone Observatories (CZOs) are located in the tropics. Among these, most are in humid climates, while very few data exist for semi-arid and sub-humid climates, due to the difficulty of estimating hydro-geochemical balances in catchments with ephemeral streams. We contribute to fill this gap by presenting a meteorological and hydro-geochemical dataset acquired at the Mule Hole catchment (4.1 km²), a pristine dry deciduous forest located in a biosphere reserve in south India. The dataset consists of time series of variables related to (i) meteorology, including rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and global radiation, (ii) hydrology, including water level and discharge at the catchment outlet, (iii) hydrogeology, including manual (monthly) and/or automated (from 15 min to hourly) groundwater levels in nine piezometers and (iv) geochemistry, including suspended sediment content in the stream and chemical composition of rainfall (event based), groundwater (monthly sampling) and stream water (storm events, 15 min to hourly frequency with an automatic sampler). The time series extend from 2003 to 2019. Measurement errors are minimized by frequent calibration of sensors and quality checks, both in the field and in the laboratory. Despite these precautions, several data gaps exist, due to occasional access restriction to the site and instrument destruction by wildlife. Results show that large seasonal and interannual variations of climatic conditions were reflected in the large variations of stream flow and groundwater recharge, as well as in water chemical composition. Notably, they reveal a long-term evolution of groundwater storage, suggesting hydrogeological cycles on a decadal scale. This dataset, alone or in combination with other data, has already allowed to better understand water and element cycling in tropical dry forests, and the role of forest diversity on biogeochemical cycles. As tropical ecosystems are underrepresented by Critical Zone Observatories, we expect this data note to be valuable for the global scientific community.     

A Practical Approach to the Estimation of Amplitude and Time-Delay Parameters of a Composite Signal

A method for estimating the amplitude and time-delay parameters for signals that can be represented as a sum of a number of scaled and delayed replicas of a known signal in the presence of nonwhite Gaussian noise is presented. The method is based upon the principles of maximum likelihood (ML) estimation, but at certain key points simplifying assumptions are made that result in a computationally practical estimation scheme. The results are compared with other related results in the literature. Simulation results are presented which support the methods derived.