Contribution to the thermal regime of the Provençal Basin based on Flumed heat flow surveys and previous investigations

We present original heat flow determinations carried out during the Flumed surveys by the CEPM along three transects of the Provençal Basin (Gulf of Lions-West Sardinia; Toulon-Ajaccio; Nice-Calvi). A total of 121 thermal gradients and 37 conductivities are examined together with previous heat flow determinations along depth sections based on previous geophysical investigations. The mean observed heat flows are clearly shown to increase from NW to SE along the profiles (expect for the Toulon-Calvi transect, where results are ambiguous). The observed heat flow increases from 55–65 mW m⁻² (Gulf of Lions) to 85 ± 14 mW m⁻² (West Sardinia) and from 55–65 mW m⁻² (Var Basin) to 103–108 mW m⁻² (lower Corsican margin), suggesting an asymmetrical distribution of the observed heat flow. We examine whether this asymmetry could be caused by thermal refraction above salt structures or by any other superficial cause (sedimentation, topography, etc.) and conclude that an asymmetrical distribution of the subcrustal heat flow is probably the cause of this thermal regime. The elevated heat flows observed to the east in the abyssal plain, corrected for sedimentation, cannot be accounted for by the standard age/heat flow relations established for oceanic or attenuated continental lithosphere. The geodynamic significance of this speculative subcrustal origin remains poorly constrained, but could be related to post-rifting magmatic activity. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the apparent high local variability of the heat flow on the upper margin of the Gulf of Lions and on the Provençal margin of the Ligurian Sea.     

Transport of the environmental radionuclides in an alpine watershed

The radionuclides¹³⁷Cs,²¹⁰Pb and⁷Be have been examined in the alpine Rhoˆne watershed (Switzerland) during a period of two years in order to evaluate their usefulness as tracers of the removal and transport rate of top-soil particles and particle-reactive contaminants of atmospheric origin. The specific activities of the radionuclides in fluvial suspension show a distinct seasonal pattern which depends on the hydrologic regime of the stream and the sources of the suspended matter. Input-output budgets based on the atmospheric deposition and fluvial removal of three radionuclides in the alpine Rhoˆne watershed are used to estimate their erosional residence times. The simplest one box model yields mean residence times of about 800 and 1400 years for¹³⁷Cs and²¹⁰Pb, respectively. The removal rate of short-lived⁷Be suggests that a part of the watershed (0.6–2.3% of the total surface) is exposed to a rapid erosion, in which the mean residence time of the radionuclides is in the range of 1–220 days. This has little influence on the calculated residence time of¹³⁷Cs but increases the estimated residence time of²¹⁰Pb in soil to over 1800 years. The use of²¹⁰Pb-⁷Be pair in fluvial output may be very helpful in the assessment of the impact of atmospheric pollutants on the water quality in rivers and lakes.     

The Colorado East River Community Observatory Data Collection

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Colorado East River Community Observatory (ER) in the Upper Colorado River Basin was established in 2015 as a representative mountainous, snow-dominated watershed to study hydrobiogeochemical responses to hydrological perturbations in headwater systems. The ER is characterized by steep elevation, geologic, hydrologic and vegetation gradients along floodplain, montane, subalpine, and alpine life zones, which makes it an ideal location for researchers to understand how different mountain subsystems contribute to overall watershed behaviour. The ER has both long-term and spatially-extensive observations and experimental campaigns carried out by the Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA), led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and researchers from over 30 organizations who conduct cross-disciplinary process-based investigations and modelling of watershed behaviour. The heterogeneous data generated at the ER include hydrological, genomic, biogeochemical, climate, vegetation, geological, and remote sensing data, which combined with model inputs and outputs comprise a collection of datasets and value-added products within a mountainous watershed that span multiple spatiotemporal scales, compartments, and life zones. Within 5 years of collection, these datasets have revealed insights into numerous aspects of watershed function such as factors influencing snow accumulation and melt timing, water balance partitioning, and impacts of floodplain biogeochemistry and hillslope ecohydrology on riverine geochemical exports. Data generated by the SFA are managed and curated through its Data Management Framework. The SFA has an open data policy, and over 70 ER datasets are publicly available through relevant data repositories. A public interactive map of data collection sites run by the SFA is available to inform the broader community about SFA field activities. Here, we describe the ER and the SFA measurement network, present the public data collection generated by the SFA and partner institutions, and highlight the value of collecting multidisciplinary multiscale measurements in representative catchment observatories.     

Recovery and concentration of suspended solids in the upper rhone river by continuous flow centrifugation

Six stations along the Rhône River from the Rhône Glacier to Lake Geneva were sampled by continuous flow centrifuge for recovery of suspended sediment. The samples were taken four times in the year in both 1982 and 1983. In addition, the mouth of the river was sampled in a like manner every two weeks during 1982 until August 1983. Concentration of sediment and composition did not vary as a function of depth or location across the river. Concentrations varied in time and as a function of flow and samples showed both increasing concentration in suspension and an increase in the proportion of finer particles moving downstream from source to mouth. Only slight variations in texture could be observed down the river as a function of time and appeared to relate to freezing and melting of the Rhône and other headwater glaciers as the primary sediment source. Little variation was observed annually in the texture and composition of the sediment at the river mouth despite large changes in concentration between the high flow summer and low flow winter discharges. These findings are consistent with a well-mixed system in which the suspended sediments are directly related to the primary supply of material from the glaciers.     

Characteristics of suspended sediment in the upper rhone river,switzerland, including the particulate forms of phosphorus

Six stations along the Upper Rhone River above Lake Geneva were sampled by continuous flow centrifuge for recovery of suspended sediment. The samples were taken four times, once in 1982 and three times in 1983. In addition the mouth of the river was sampled in a like manner every two weeks during 1982 until August 1983. Samples were analysed for the major elements SiO₂, Al₂O₃, K₂O, MgO, Na₂O, CaO, and Fe₂O₃; for trace elements, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, and Cr; for Org. C and Kjeldahl N; and the forms of phosphorus bound as Organic P (OP), Apatite P (AP), and Non Apatite Inorganic P (NAIP). The major elements and trace metals confirmed that there is virtually no change in the major geochemical characteristics of the suspended solids in the Rhone, spatially or temporally, indicating that this river is a well-mixed sedimentary system. AP also remained consistent in concentration throughout the year. Sediment recovered during the winter low flow, low turbidity period has been designated SED 1 whereas sediment from the high flow, high turbidity summer condition of the river has been designated SED 2. Org C, OP, and NAIP show a dramatic decrease in concentration from SED 1 to SED 2. The decline is ascribed to dilution of a relatively constant supply of organic matter and phosphorus derived mainly from point source sewage treatment plants to the Rhone. This results in variable partitioning of the OP/NAIP and Org C under the different turbidity condition in the river between winter and summer. This interpretation is confirmed by a low and consistent C-N ratio which except for March remains below 10. Higher values in March may be indicative of soil erosion during spring melt in the agricultural lands of the Rhone Valley. The estimated proportion of particulate bio-available phosphorus is 14 per cent for SED 1 and 7 per cent for SED 2. These low values would suggest that there would be no observable direct effect on the primary production of the receiving waters of Lake Geneva, which would thus respond only to the cumulative loading of phosphorus from the Rhone River.     

Seasonal delivery of the particulate forms of phosphorus to Lake Geneva from the upper Rhone river

Large volume water samples were taken at Porte du Scex and Bouveret at the mouth of the Upper Rhone River as it enters Lake Geneva. Samples were taken every two weeks during 1982 up until August 1983. Water samples were analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and were centrifuged in the field using a continuous flow centrifuge to recover the suspended solids following sieving at 63 µm. The < 63 µm solids were analyzed for total particulate phosphorus (TPP), organic phosphorus (OP), apatite phosphorus (AP) and non apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP). The > 63 µm were similarly analyzed and the weight of total solids in both size fractions recorded. Results were compared throughout the period of record to the hydrograph situated at Porte de Scex. The annual cycle of the Rhone can be divided into a low turbidity, low flow winter period (SED 1) and high flow, high turbidity summer season designated (SED 2). Turbidity is well related to discharge. The > 63 µm sediment is mobilized at 200 m³ s^–1 and thereafter increases in concert with, though at a faster rate than, the < 63 µm fraction. The coarse fraction contains significant quantities of phosphorus and in 1982 accounted for 26% of the TPP loading. OP and NAIP are higher in SED 1 than in SED 2 though AP remains constant throughout the year. OP is believed to be driven primarily from point sources whereas NAIP, in addition to point sources, has secondary sources in spring and summer due to sheet erosion from the agricultural soils of the valley. Loadings of phosphorus were calculated by four methods which showed internal consistency though they were higher than previous estimates. Bioavailable phosphorus (BAP) was estimated to account for some 20% of the total phosphorus loading of some 1500 tonnes; BAP is here taken to be the sum of SRP and NAIP and is that portion of the phosphorus load believed to be available to generate phytoplankton growth.