Influence of Nocturnal Low-level Jets on Eddy-covariance Fluxes over a Tall Forest Canopy

Observations of low-level jets (LLJs) at the Howland AmeriFlux site in the USA and the jet’s impact on nocturnal turbulent exchange and scalar fluxes over a tall forest canopy are discussed. Low-frequency motions and turbulent bursts characterize moderately strong LLJs, whereas low-frequency motions are suppressed during periods with strong LLJs and enhanced shear. An analysis based on the shear-sheltering hypothesis seeks to elucidate the effect of LLJs on flux measurements. In the absence of shear sheltering, large eddies penetrate the roughness sublayer causing enhanced mixing while during periods with shear sheltering, mixing is reduced. In the absence of the latter, ‘upside-down’ eddies are primarily responsible for the enhanced velocity variances, scalar and momentum fluxes. The integral length scales over the canopy are greater than the canopy height. The variance spectra and cospectra from the wavelet analysis indicate that large eddies (spatial scale greater than the low-level jet height) interact with active canopy-scale turbulence, contributing to counter-gradient scalar fluxes.     

Regimes of spatial ordering in Brazil: Neoliberalism,leftist populism and modernist aesthetics in slum upgrading in Recife

This paper shows how regimes of spatial ordering in Brazil are produced by the entangling of neoliberalism, leftist populism and modernist visions. The paper focuses on Prometrópole, a slum upgrading project in Recife funded by the World Bank, which commenced in 2007. In this project, the neoliberal dimension manifests in the idea that the state, private companies and citizens together are responsible for (re)constructing urban space, and further, that beneficiaries should behave as autonomous citizens, taking responsibility for their new living environment. The leftist political dimension is seen in participatory procedures to involve the target population from project design through to implementation, in expectation of their cooperation with the government. The modernist aesthetics – of straight lines, open spaces and visible order – informs the project design with the requirement to use the new houses and public spaces according to the standards of ‘modern civilization’. As our research shows, such a regime of spatial ordering clashes with the livelihoods of the urban poor, whose quality of life might even deteriorate as a result of the intervention. Furthermore, so‐called participatory procedures fail to grant the target population any real influence in creating their environment. Consequently, these residents of the new housing estate drastically reconstruct their private and public areas, reappropriating the urban space and contesting the regime of spatial ordering imposed upon them.     

Assessing the shear-sheltering theory applied to low-level jets in the nocturnal stable boundary layer

This paper investigates the existence of shear sheltering on turbulence data over a quasi-ideal experimental site in Oklahoma, USA. Originally developed for engineering flows, the shear-sheltering theory is predicated upon the idea of low-level jets blocking large eddies aloft, preventing them from propagating to the surface. In this scenario, suppression of low-frequency turbulence energy and reduction of surface fluxes would be expected. Results from the Oklahoma experiment show instead an enhancement of surface turbulence intensity and of the relative contribution of large scales to total (co)variances for low-level jet cases with strong shear, thus suggesting the absence of shear sheltering at the site. The results underline the complexity of surface-atmosphere interactions in nocturnal stable conditions. Atmospheric modeling of exchange using various scenarios of surface characteristics, flow regimes, and low-level jet properties is suggested to further assess the potential applicability of the shear-sheltering theory to atmospheric flows.     

Consequences of inter-specific competition among multiple adaptive species in Daisyworld

Summary We investigate the consequences of Darwinian selection in a daisymodel with uniform temperature, inter-specific competition and multiple daisies. The assumption of a higher competition between species than within them allows for the coexistence of more than two species in equilibrium. Thus, it is the first time that a high biodiversity with equal environment-altering traits at the same trophic level in a daisymodel is reported under stationary conditions. Adaptation in the biota occurs through mutations, leading to changes in the optimum temperature in order to achieve the maximum growth rate at the individual level. We study the planetary sensitivity (i.e. the variation of the global mean temperature due to a 1% change in solar radiation) as a function of the strength of the inter-specific competition and of the number of different species that grow in the model. We find the following: 1) by fixing the parameter that defines the strength of the inter-specific competition, the planetary sensitivity increases as biodiversity increases; 2) by keeping constant the number of different species in the planet, the planetary sensitivity also increases as competition between species increases. In any case, however, the planetary sensitivity associated with adaptive daisies is much greater than that obtained from non-adaptive species. However, the range of mean solar radiation where biota grows in the planet is substantially larger for adaptive species than for non-adaptive ones. This result suggests that adaptation of multiple species with the same environmental-altering traits may not imply a strong regulation of the mean planetary temperature, which differs with recent studies that analyse adaptation of single species. Similar results are obtained by using a constrained adaptation and non-uniform temperatures.     

Geochemical constraints on the bimodal origin of High Himalayan leucogranites

Major and trace element and Rb-Sr isotope systematics of the Manaslu leucogranite, Central Nepal, have been examined to constrain the role of mineral fractionation and fluids in peraluminous granite petrogenesis. Biotite and tourmaline are, for the most part, mutually exclusive, with a predominance of two-mica leucogranites over tourmaline leucogranites. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr initial isotopic ratios (Sr_i) indicate that leucogranitic melts were derived from two different sources, the two-mica leucogranites having a metagreywacke origin (with Sr_i < 0.752 and εNd < −15) and the tourmaline leucogranites a metapelitic one (Sr_i> 0.752; εNd > − 15). Such a bimodal nature of the source zone does not directly influence the magmatic evolution, except that probably the higher initial boron content in the metapelitic rocks may increase the Na₂O/K₂O ratio. In contrast, the amount of water present during melting principally controls in part anatectic processes and element behaviour. Water-saturated conditions probably occured during melting of metagreywackeous rocks and favoured crystallization of two-mica leucogranites whereas water-absent conditions prevailed during melting of metapelitic layers and favoured biotite, plagioclase and monazite fractionation in the source zone and tourmaline crystallization in the leucogranite.     

Badrinath-Gangotri plutons (Garhwal, India): petrological and geochemical evidence for fractionation processes in a high Himalayan leucogranite

The Gangotri leucogranite is the western end of the Badrinath granite, one of the largest bodies of the High Himalayan Leucogranite belt (HHL). It is a typical fine grained tourmaline + muscovite ± biotite leucogranite. The petrography shows a lack of restitic phases. The inferred crystallization sequence is characterized by the early appearance of plagioclase, quartz and biotite and by the late crystallization of the K-feldspar. This suggests that, in spite of being of near minimum melt composition, the granite probably had long crystallization or melting interval, in agreement with previous experimental studies. Tourmaline and muscovite have a mainly magmatic origin. Even though the major element composition is homogeneous, there are several geochemical trends (when CaO decreases there is an increase in Na₂O, Rb, Sn, U, B, F and a decrease in K₂O, Fe₂O₃, TiO₂, Sr, Ba, Zr, REE, Th) which are best explained by a fractionation process with early crystallizing phases. Experimental solubility models for zircon and monazite in felsic melt support a magmatic origin for these two accessory phases as well.Rb/Sr isotope data show this granite to have, like other HHL, heterogeneous isotopic values for Sr (initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, calculated at 20 Ma, range between 0.765 and 0.785). Therefore no mixing (i.e. no convection) occurred between the different batches of magma. In contrast ¹⁸O data show little variation (13.04% ± 0.25), implying a source with homogeneous ¹⁸O values. Differences in timing between fluid infiltration and the onset of melting, related to differences in temperature of the source, could explain why source homogenization occurred for the Gangotri and not for the Manaslu granite.The use of experimental results for solubility and the position of the accessory minerals during melting, predict a low viscosity for the melt during its extraction. This in turn explains the lack of restitic phases (major and accessory) in the granite as well as some field features (lensoid shape, pronounced magmatic layering). Based on the petrographic and isotopic studies, it is suggested that the mechanism of ascent was not diapiric but rather that the melt ascended along several fractures and the level of emplacement was partialy controlled by the density contrast between the melt and host rocks.     

A modification to the Soil Conservation Service curve number method for steep slopes in the Loess Plateau of China

The Soil Conservation Service curve number (CN) method is widely used for predicting direct runoff from rainfall. However, despite the extent of cultivation on hillslope areas, very few attempts have been made to incorporate a slope factor into the CN method. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate existing approaches integrating slope in the CN method, and (2) to develop an equation incorporating a slope factor into the CN method for application in the steep slope areas of the Loess Plateau of China. The dataset consisted of 11 years of rainfall and runoff measurements from two experimental sites with slopes ranging from 14 to 140%. The results indicated that the standard CN method underestimated large runoff events and overestimated small events. For our experimental conditions, the optimized and non‐optimized forms of the slope‐modified CN method of the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator model improved runoff prediction for steep slopes, but large runoff events were still underestimated and small ones overpredicted. Based on relationships between slope and the observed and theoretical CN values, an equation was developed that better predicted runoff depths with an R² of 0·822 and a linear regression slope of 0·807. This slope‐adjusted CN equation appears to be the most appropriate for runoff prediction in the steep areas of the Loess Plateau of China. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial versus temporal patterns in fish assemblages of a tropical estuarine coastal lake: The Ebrié Lagoon (Ivory Coast)

The fish assemblages of the Ebrié lagoon (Ivory Coast) were sampled by experimental fishing over the entire lagoon using a purse seine net. The sampling was conducted in the two main hydroclimatic seasons for this ecosystem, i.e. in the dry season (March–April) and in the wet season (August–September). The results obtained showed a fish assemblage organized around a consistently occurring group of twenty species. When analysed in terms of ecological categories, the seasonal influence led to a cycle in the assemblages from freshwater to marine around this permanent species pool, with a seasonal renewal of the assemblage. At the scale of the lagoon, there were variations in the composition of the assemblages that clearly distinguished the western part from the eastern one. The limit was situated at the Vridi canal, a wide artificial channel permanently connecting the lagoon to the sea. To the west, the assemblage was characterised by a strong spatial uniformity and low seasonal variability. To the east, the assemblage formed two different entities; one assemblage with pronounced freshwater affinities occurring in a side arm and the other assemblage with great seasonal variability under the alternating influence of seawater in the dry season and freshwater in the wet season. This part of the lagoon functioned somewhat like a typical estuary.     

Quantifying the local influence at a tall tower site in nocturnal conditions

The influence of the local terrestrial environment on nocturnal atmospheric CO₂ measurements at a 329-m television transmitter tower (and a component of a CO₂ monitoring network) was estimated with a tracer release experiment and a subsequent simulation of the releases. This was done to characterize the vertical transport of emissions from the surface to the uppermost tower level and how it is affected by atmospheric stability. The tracer release experiment was conducted over two nights in May of 2009 near the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. Tracer was released on two contrasting nights—slightly stable and moderately stable—from several upwind surface locations. Measurements at the 329-m level on both nights indicate that tracer was able to mix vertically within a relatively short (～24 km) distance, implying that nocturnal stable conditions do not necessarily prevent vertical dispersion in the boundary layer and that CO₂ measurements at the tower are at least partly influenced by nearby emissions. A simulation of the tracer release is used to calculate the tower footprint on the two nights to estimate the degree to which the local domain affects the tower readings. The effect of the nocturnal boundary layer on the area sampled by the tower can be seen clearly, as the footprints were affected by changes in stability. The contribution of local sources to the measurements at the tower was minimal, however, suggesting that nocturnal concentrations at upper levels are contributed mostly by regional sources.