On how thin submarine flows transported large volumes of sand for hundreds of kilometres across a flat basin plain without eroding the sea floor

Submarine gravity currents, especially long run‐out flows that reach the deep ocean, are exceptionally difficult to monitor in action, hence there is a need to reconstruct how these flows behave from their deposits. This study mapped five individual flow deposits (beds) across the Agadir Basin, offshore north‐west Africa. This is the only data set where bed shape, internal distribution of lithofacies, changes in grain size and sea floor gradient, bed volumes, flow thickness and depth of erosion into underlying hemipelagic mud are known for individual beds. Some flows were 30 to 120 m thick. However, flows with the highest fraction of sand were less than 5 to 14 m thick. Sand was most likely to be carried in the lower 5 to 7 m of these flows. Despite being relatively thin, one flow was capable of transporting very large volumes of sediment (ca 200 km³) for large distances across very flat sea floor. These observations show that these relatively thin flows could travel quickly enough on very low gradients (0·02° to 0·05°) to suspend sand several metres to tens of metres above the sea floor, and maintain those speeds for up to 250 km across the basin. Near uniform hemipelagic mud interval thickness between beds, and coccolith assemblages in the mud caps of beds, suggest that the flows did not erode significantly into the underlying sea floor mud. Simple calculations imply that some flows, especially in the proximal part of the basin, were powerful enough to have eroded hemipelagic mud if it was exposed to the flow. This suggests that the flows were depositional from the moment they arrived at a basin plain location, and that deposition shielded the underlying hemipelagic mud from erosion. Reproducing the field observations outlined in this exceptionally detailed field data set is a challenge for future experimental and numerical models.     

Shale swelling/shrinkage and water content change due to imposed suction and due to direct brine contact

Analyses were performed on nine different preserved shales, representing in situ states of 5–15 % water content and 0.13–0.42 void ratio. Under varying total suction (controlled humidity), each shale shows well-defined relationships among suction, volume change, water content and saturation, with the lower-porosity shales undergoing less volume and water content change than the higher-porosity shales. A decrease in in situ porosity is also associated with a much higher native state suction as well as full saturation extending to suction values beyond 40 MPa. Only part of the high suction is due to capillary tension. Under direct brine exposure, the shales almost always swell, even when the brine has an equivalent suction greater than the shale. This is likely due to the reduction in some component of the matric suction. The shale pore water is found to equilibrate with the solute content of the surrounding brine, due to ion diffusion. Much or all of the swelling, and water increase, appears to take place in the clay-bound water and not in the main (free water) pore space. The swelling magnitude is consistent with the amount of water content increase. Swelling usually corresponds to less than one additional water layer being added between the clays. Swelling, and water increase, is very small for the low-porosity shales. Some osmotic effects are observable in all the shales, and cation exchange on the clays also takes place. Swelling is best inhibited with potassium, followed by sodium, followed by calcium, for brines of equal water activity ranging from 0.8 to 0.9.     

Mesocosm experiments for evaluating the biological efficacy of ozone treatment of marine ballast water

Ballast water is a major pathway for the transfer of non-indigenous species in aquatic environments. The objectives of this study were to determine the ability of ozone to reduce the numbers of a spectrum of marine organisms collected from Puget Sound, Washington in replicated mesocosm (280 l) experiments, and estimate the minimum ozone concentrations as measured by total residual oxidant (TRO) required to reduce organism densities. Ozone treatment was effective in removing bacteria, phytoplankton, and mesozooplankton with initial TRO concentrations of 2–5 mg l⁻¹ as Br₂. Persistence of TRO resulted in an extended period of toxicity and cumulative mortality. TRO decay allowed bacteria populations to multiply when TRO levels fell below 0.5–1.0 mg l⁻¹ as Br₂. Phytoplankton chlorophyll a concentrations were rapidly reduced by ozone treatment and did not increase in any treatments or controls because of lack of light. Overall mesozooplankton viability was rapidly reduced by 90–99% in treatment TRO levels above 1.85 mg l⁻¹ as Br₂. Our study outlines novel protocols that can be used for testing different potential ballast water treatment systems in replicated and controlled mesocosm experiments.     

Ozonation of seawater from different locations: formation and decay of total residual oxidant--implications for ballast water treatment

Ballast water is a likely cause for worldwide transfer of non-indigenous aquatic species because of the large volumes and frequency of possible inoculations. Ozone is one treatment option being considered for eliminating non-indigenous species in ballast water. When ozone is applied to seawater, secondary disinfectants are formed, commonly measured and expressed as total residual oxidant (TRO). The goal of this study was to determine those variables most likely to affect the rate of TRO increase during ozonation and the subsequent TRO decline that occurs over time. These parameters strongly influence the efficacy of ozone treatments aimed to eliminate organisms present in ballast water. Seawater was obtained from Puget Sound, Washington; Cape Fear, North Carolina; and San Francisco Bay. Results indicated that seawater characteristics, including the organic content and ammonia, affect the amount of ozone required to achieve a desired TRO level and rate of TRO decay, and therefore need to be considered in determining ozone requirements for ballast water treatment.     

An approach to modeling trace component activities in silicate melts: NiO

This report presents a model predicting activities for NiO in a wide range of silicate melts that include the components SiO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, MgO, FeO, CaO, Na₂O, and K₂O. The conceptual simplicity of this model, combined with its success in modeling complex variations in activity with melt composition, suggests that the approach may provide insight into the character of trace components in the melt. The model presented in this report considers NiO to exist as Ni²⁺ and O^2? in the melt, and predicts the activity of NiO by modeling variations in both aNi²⁺ and aO^2?. Activities of Ni²⁺ are modeled assuming that NiO mixes randomly with a hypothetical ‘mixing pool’ of cations dominated by cations of similar size and charge to Ni²⁺, mainly Fe²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Ni²⁺. aO^2? is modeled as a function of total oxygen ? 2·network-forming cations, with the understanding that O^2? in silicate melts exists in equilibrium with bridging and non-bridging oxygens through reactions of the type Si–O–Si + O^2? → 2 Si–O. For illustration, the model is applied to reduced mafic lunar samples that may have equilibrated with a Ni-bearing metal phase.     

Late quaternary speleogenesis and landscape evolution in the northern Apennine evaporite areas

Gypsum beds host the majority of the caves in the north‐eastern flank of the Apennines, in the Emilia Romagna region (Italy). More than six hundred of these caves have been surveyed, including the longest known epigenic gypsum cave systems in the world (Spipola‐Acquafredda, ~11 km). Although this area has been intensively studied from a geological point of view, the age of the caves has never been investigated in detail. The rapid dissolution of gypsum and uplift history of the area have led to the long‐held view that speleogenesis commenced only during the last 130 000 years. Epigenic caves only form when the surface drainage system efficiently conveys water into the underground. In the study area, this was achieved after the dismantling of most of the impervious sediments covering the gypsum and the development of protovalleys and sinkholes. The time necessary for these processes can by constrained by understanding when caves were first formed. The minimum age of karst voids can be indirectly estimated by dating the infilling sediments. U–Th dating of carbonate speleothems growing in gypsum caves has been applied to 20 samples from 14 different caves from the Spipola‐Acquafredda, Monte Tondo‐Re Tiberio, Stella‐Rio Basino, Monte Mauro, and Castelnuovo systems. The results show that: (i) caves have been forming since at least ~600 kyr ago; (ii) the peak of speleogenesis was reached during relatively cold climate stages, when rivers formed terraces at the surface and aggradation caused paragenesis in the stable cave levels; (iii) ~200 000 years were necessary for the dismantling of most of the sediments covering the karstifiable gypsum and the development of a surface mature drainage network. Besides providing a significant contribution to the understanding of evaporite karst evolution in the Apennines, this study refines our knowledge on the timescale of geomorphological processes in a region affected by rapid uplifting. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of beach morphology on coastal cliff erosion under extreme waves

Erosion of hard‐rock coastal cliffs is understood to be caused by a combination of both marine and sub‐aerial processes. Beach morphology, tidal elevation and significant wave heights, especially under extreme storm conditions, can lead to variability in wave energy flux to the cliff‐toe. Wave and water level measurements in the nearshore under energetic conditions are difficult to obtain and in situ observations are rare. Here we use monthly cliff‐face volume changes detected using terrestrial laser scanning alongside beach morphological changes and modelled nearshore hydrodynamics to examine how exposed cliffs respond to changes in extreme wave conditions and beach morphology. The measurements cover the North Atlantic storms of 2013 to 2014 and consider two exposed stretches of coastline (Porthleven and Godrevy, UK) with contrasting beach morphology fronting the cliffs; a flat dissipative sandy beach at Godrevy and a steep reflective gravel beach at Porthleven. Beach slope and the elevation of the beach–cliff junction were found to influence the frequency of cliff inundation and the power of wave–cliff impacts. Numerical modelling (XBeach‐G) showed that under highly energetic wave conditions, i.e. those that occurred in the North Atlantic during winter 2013–2014, with H_s = 5.5 m (dissipative site) and 8 m (reflective site), the combination of greater wave height and steeper beach at the reflective site led to amplified wave run‐up, subjecting these cliffs to waves over four times as powerful as those impacting the cliffs at the dissipative site (39 kWm^‐1 compared with 9 kWm^‐1). This study highlighted the sensitivity of cliff erosion to extreme wave conditions, where the majority (over 90% of the annual value) of cliff‐face erosion ensued during the winter. The significance of these short‐term erosion rates in the context of long‐term retreat illustrates the importance of incorporating short‐term beach and wave dynamics into geomorphological studies of coastal cliff change. © 2017 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Comparing Methods of Barometric Efficiency Characterization for Specific Storage Estimation

Groundwater responses to barometric pressure fluctuations are characterized using the concept of barometric efficiency (BE). For semiconfined and confined aquifers, BE values can be used to provide efficient, low-cost estimates of specific storage. This study compares, for the first time, eight existing methods of BE estimation. Comparisons were undertaken using data from the Peel region of Western Australia. Fourier analysis and regression deconvolution methods were used to estimate aquifer confinement status. The former approach was found to be robust and provided a quantitative basis for spatial comparisons of the degree of confinement. The latter approach was confounded by the presence of diurnal and/or semidiurnal signals. For wells at which semiconfined or confined responses were identified, frequency and time domain methods were used to estimate BE values. Most BE estimation methods were similarly confounded by diurnal and/or semidiurnal signals, with the exception of the Acworth et al. (2016) method. Specific storage values calculated from BE values were order-of-magnitude consistent with the results of four historical pumping tests. The methods implemented in this research provide efficient, low-cost alternatives to hydraulic testing for estimating aquifer confinement, as well as the BE and specific storage of semiconfined and confined aquifers. The frequency and duration of observations required by these methods are minimal; for example, typically requiring a minimum of four observations per day over a four month period. In some locations they may allow additional insights to be derived from existing groundwater hydrograph data.     

A suburban sediment budget: Coarse-grained sediment flux through hillslopes,stormwater systems and streams

Sediment in urban stormwater systems creates a significant maintenance burden, while a lack of coarse-grained bed sediment in streams limits their ecological value and geomorphic resilience. Gravel substrates, for example, provide benthic habitat yet are often scoured from the channel bed only to end up in a detention basin or treatment wetland. This dual problem of both ‘too much’ and ‘too little’ coarse-grained sediment reflects a watershed sediment budget that is profoundly altered. We developed a conceptual urban coarse-grained (>0.5 mm) sediment budget across three domains: hillslopes (urban land surfaces), the built stormwater network and stream channels. We then quantified key sources, sinks and storages for a suburban case study, using a combination of hillslope and in-channel monitoring, and interrogation of local government records. Around 36% of the sediment supplied to the stormwater network reached the catchment outlet, a level of sediment delivery much higher than observed in similar-sized natural catchments. The remainder was deposited in the sediment cascade and either stored, or extracted and removed from the catchment (e.g. material deposited in sediment ponds and gross pollutant traps). Conventional urban drainage networks are characterized by high hillslope sediment supply and low storage, resulting in efficient sediment delivery. Channel erosion, deposition in (and extraction from) pipes and channels, and floodplain deposition are small compared to sediment transport through the cascade. An understanding of the sediment budget of urban headwater catchments can provide stormwater and waterway managers with the information they need to address specific sediment problems such as sedimentation in stormwater assets and geomorphic recovery of urban streams. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stable isotope constraints on the origin of the Cabo de Creus garnet-tourmaline pegmatites,Massif des Alberes,Eastern Pyrenees,Spain

Pegmatite dyke swarms are exposed within the easternmost Pyrenees at Cabo de Creus. These dykes were emplaced into high-grade metamorphosed sedimentary strata of Cambro-Ordovician age, but lack obvious field relationship to Hercynian intrusive rocks. Together with structural and geochemical data, equilibrium oxygen isotope fractionations at temperatures of ≈ 600°C, the lack of obvious subsolidus exchange, and the H- and O-isotopic signatures of water in equilibrium with pegmatite mica and quartz are interpreted to indicate a derivation from anatexis of a metapelitic source at shallow crustal levels.