Changes in hillslope hydrology in a perched,shallow soil system due to clearcutting and residual biomass removal

Sustainable fuels legislation and volatility in energy prices have put additional pressures on the forestry sector to intensify the harvesting of biomass for “advanced biofuel” production. To better understand how residual biomass removal after harvest affects forest hydrology in relatively low slope terrain, a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study was conducted in the USDA Forest Service's Marcell Experimental Forest, Minnesota, USA. Hydrological measurements were made from 2010–2013 on a forested hillslope that was divided into three treatment blocks, where one block was harvested and residual biomass removed (Biomass Removed), the second was harvested and residual biomass left (Biomass Left), and the last block was left as an Unharvested Control. The pre-harvest period (2 years) was 2010–11 and post-harvest (2 years) was 2012–13. Water table elevation at the upslope and downslope position, subsurface runoff, and soil moisture were measured between May–November. Mixed effect statistical models were used to compare both the before-after and “control” treatment ratios (ratios between harvested hillslopes and the Unharvested Control hillslope). Subsurface runoff significantly increased (p < .05) at both harvested hillslopes but to a greater degree on the Biomass Left hillslope. Greater subsurface runoff volumes at both harvested hillslopes were driven by substantial increases during fall, with additional significant increases during summer on the Biomass Left hillslope. The hydrological connectivity, inferred from event runoff ratios, increased due to harvesting at both hillslopes but only significantly on the Biomass Left hillslope. The winter harvest minimized soil disturbance, resulting in no change to the effective hydraulic conductivity distribution with depth. Thus, the observed hydrological changes were driven by increased effective precipitation and decreased evapotranspiration, increasing the duration that both harvested hillslopes were hydrologically active. The harvesting of residual biomass appears to lessen hydrological connectivity relative to leaving residual biomass on the hillslope, potentially decreasing downstream hydrological impacts of similar forestry operations.     

Colorful Planets,Cometary Tail,and Nuclear Winter

After the 1967 flight of the Venera-4 automatic interplanetary station (AIS), the study of planetary atmospheres became one of the key areas of scientific research at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAPh), USSR Academy of Sciences. The goal of the Venera-4 mission was to deliver a descent vehicle into the atmosphere of Venus and study the physical parameters and chemical composition of the atmosphere. IAPh scientists published several articles on the analysis of these measurements, with A.M. Obukhov himself directly involved in writing some of these articles. An analysis of the properties of the Martian surface and atmosphere from the data of the Mars-2, Mars-3, and Mariner-9 missions in November–December 1971 set the stage for a series of studies on the atmospheric effects of Martian dust storms. Based on the study of the atmospheres of terrestrial planets, IAPh scientists developed a simple model for the nuclear winter phenomenon, i.e., a long-term cooling due to massive fires caused by nuclear explosions. Obukhov took a keen interest in this subject and participated in the publication of review articles on the possible atmospheric and climatic effects of a nuclear war. In another publication, Obukhov and his coauthors provided a theoretical analysis of the possible causes for the tail from Halley’s comet ripping off, as was observed in January 1986. The present article gives a brief overview of the IAPh works on Solar System research and on the possible consequences of a nuclear conflict, which were published in the 1960s–1980s while Obukhov was alive.     

A multiscale work-analysis approach for geotechnical structures

This paper presents a second-order work analysis in application to geotechnical problems by using a novel effective multiscale approach. To abandon complicated equations involved in conventional phenomenological models, this multiscale approach employs a micromechanically-based formulation, in which only four parameters are involved. The multiscale approach makes it possible a coupling of the finite element method (FEM) and the micromechanically-based model. The FEM is used to solve the boundary value problem (BVP) while the micromechanically-based model is utilized at the Gauss point of the FEM. Then, the multiscale approach is used to simulate a three-dimensional triaxial test and a plain-strain footing. On the basis of the simulations, material instabilities are analyzed at both mesoscale and global scale. The second-order work criterion is then used to analyze the numerical results. It opens a road to interpret and understand the micromechanisms hiding behind the occurrence of failure in geotechnical issues.     

Steady Lateral Growth of Three-Dimensional Particle Laden Density Currents

In this paper the steady lateral growth of three-dimensional turbulent inclined turbidity current is investigated. To simulate the current, an experimental setup is developed to analyze the turbidity current for different regimes in the particle laden density currents environment. The Buckingham's π theorem together with a dimensional analysis is implemented to derive the appropriate non-dimensional variables. The experimental results were normalized and plotted in the form of non-dimensional graphs from which a theoretical model is developed and analyzed. Based on the results obtained for the steady lateral growth, three different regimes, namely, inertia-viscous one as the first regime, buoyancy-viscous and gravity-viscous as the second and third regimes are distinguished within the current.In these regimes, the force balance is between the driving and resisting forces. Namely, in the first regime, the force balance is between the inertia and viscous forces, in the second regime, the buoyancy and viscous forces, and in the third regime, gravity and viscous forces are balanced. The experimental results indicate that the lateral growth rate in the first regime is smaller than that in the second and third regimes due to the magnitude and type of the forces involved in those regimes. According to the graphical results, the three different lateral growth rates appear when the normalized current length is smaller than about 3, between about 3 and 10, and larger than about 10. In those regions,the slopes of the data are different with respect to one another.     

Projectile preservation during oblique hypervelocity impacts

Impact angle plays a significant role in determining the fate of the projectile. In this study, we use a suite of hypervelocity impact experiments to reveal how impact angle affects the preservation, distribution, and physical state of projectile residues in impact craters. Diverse types of projectiles, including amorphous silicates, crystalline silicates, and aluminum, in two sizes (6.35 and 12.7 mm), were launched into blocks of copper or 6061 aluminum at speeds between 1.9 and 5.7 km s⁻¹. Crater interiors preserve projectile residues in all cases, including conditions relevant to the asteroid belt. These residues consist of projectile fragments or projectile-rich glasses, depending on impact conditions. During oblique impacts at 30° and 45°, the uprange crater wall preserves crystalline fragments of the projectile. The fragments of water-rich projectiles such as antigorite remain hydrated. Several factors contribute to enhanced preservation on the uprange wall, including a weaker shock uprange, uprange acceleration as the shock reflects off the back of the projectile, and rapid quenching of melts along the projectile–target interface. These findings have two broader implications. First, the results suggest a new collection strategy for flyby sample return missions. Second, these results predict that the M-type asteroid Psyche should bear exogenic, impactor-derived debris.     

Solution for a plane strain rough‐walled hydraulic fracture driven by turbulent fluid through impermeable rock

The impact of turbulent flow on plane strain fluid‐driven crack propagation is an important but still poorly understood consideration in hydraulic fracture modeling. The changes that hydraulic fracturing has experienced over the past decade, especially in the area of fracturing fluids, have played a major role in the transition of the typical fluid regime from laminar to turbulent flow. Motivated by the increasing preponderance of high‐rate, water‐driven hydraulic fractures with high Reynolds number, we present a semianalytical solution for the propagation of a plane strain hydraulic fracture driven by a turbulent fluid in an impermeable formation. The formulation uses a power law relationship between the Darcy‐Weisbach friction factor and the scale of the fracture roughness, where one specific manifestation of this generalized friction factor is the classical Gauckler‐Manning‐Strickler approximation for turbulent flow in a rough‐walled channel. Conservation of mass, elasticity, and crack propagation are also solved simultaneously. We obtain a semianalytical solution using an orthogonal polynomial series. An approximate closed‐form solution is enabled by a choice of orthogonal polynomials embedding the near‐tip asymptotic behavior and thus giving very rapid convergence; a precise solution is obtained with 2 terms of the series. By comparison with numerical simulations, we show that the transition region between the laminar and turbulent regimes can be relatively small so that full solutions can often be well approximated by either a fully laminar or fully turbulent solution.     

甘肃酒泉荒漠戈壁灌木群落优势物种生态位特征

了解物种利用资源和占据生态空间的能力，对维持完善和科学保育荒漠戈壁植物群落的多样性具有重要意义。在综合反映各生态因子作用的群落类型和海拔梯度组合而成的两条资源轴上，测度分析了甘肃酒泉荒漠戈壁灌木群落主要优势种的生态位特征。结果表明：(1)在群落类型和海拔梯度两条资源轴上，红砂（Reaumuria songarica）、泡泡刺（Nitraria sphaerocarpa）和合头草（Sympegma regelii）的重要值和生态位宽度均较大，说明这些物种适应能力强,能够较好地利用环境资源，分布范围大，作为荒漠戈壁灌木群落中的广域种具有重要的生态地位和作用。(2)荒漠戈壁优势物种间的生态位重叠值多数较小，在群落类型和海拔梯度资源轴上生态位重叠值小于0.5的分别占总种对的62.63%和77.89%。生态位宽度大的物种之间一般生态位重叠值较高，物种利用资源能力强且存在竞争关系；然而，生态位宽度较小的物种与其他物种之间的生态位重叠程度较低，不同物种在环境资源的需求上产生互补，可以和谐共存；生态位宽度小的物种之间生态位重叠值仍较高，物种分布呈斑块现象；因此，生态位重叠与生态位宽度之间无显著相关性。(3)荒漠戈壁优势物种间总体表现为不显著的正关联，表明该植被群落结构及其物种之间处于稳定共存的状态。     

Geostatistical features of streambed vertical hydraulic conductivities in Frenchman Creek Watershed in Western Nebraska

This study evaluated the spatial variability of streambed vertical hydraulic conductivity (K_v) in different stream morphologies in the Frenchman Creek Watershed, Western Nebraska, using different variogram models. Streambed K_v values were determined in situ using permeameter tests at 10 sites in Frenchman, Stinking Water and Spring Creeks during the dry season at baseflow conditions. Measurements were taken both in straight and meandering stream channels during a 5 day period at similar flow conditions. Each test site comprised of at least three transects and each transect comprised of at least three K_v measurements. Linear, Gaussian, exponential and spherical variogram models were used with Kriging gridding method for the 10 sites. As a goodness-of-fit statistic for the variogram models, cross-validation results showed differences in the median absolute deviation and the standard deviation of the cross-validation residuals. Results show that using the geometric means of the 10 sites for gridding performs better than using either all the K_v values from the 93 permeameter tests or 10 K_v values from the middle transects and centre permeameters. Incorporating both the spatial variability and the uncertainty involved in the measurement at a reach segment can yield more accurate grid results that can be useful in calibrating K_v at watershed or sub-watershed scales in distributed hydrological models.