Alteration of hydrological processes and streamflow with juniper (Juniperus virginiana) encroachment in a mesic grassland catchment

To understand the effect of woody plant encroachment on hydrological processes of mesic grasslands, we quantified infiltration capacity in situ, the temporal changes in soil water storage, and streamflow of a grassland catchment and a catchment heavily encroached by juniper (Juniperus virginiana, eastern redcedar) in previously cultivated, non‐karst substrate grasslands in north‐central Oklahoma for 3 years. The initial and steady‐state infiltration rates under the juniper canopy were nearly triple to that of the grassland catchment and were intermediate in the intercanopy spaces within the encroached catchment. Soil water content and soil water storage on the encroached catchment were generally lower than on the grassland catchment, especially when preceding the seasons of peak rainfall in spring and fall. Frequency and magnitude of streamflow events were reduced in the encroached catchment. Annual runoff coefficients for the encroached catchment averaged 2.1%, in contrast to 10.6% for the grassland catchment. Annual streamflow duration ranged from 80 to 250 h for the encroached catchment compared with 600 to 800 h for the grassland catchment. Our results showed that the encroachment of juniper into previously cultivated mesic grasslands fundamentally alters catchment hydrological function. Rapid transformation of mesic grassland to a woodland state with juniper encroachment, if not confined, has the potential to drastically reduce soil water, streamflow and flow duration of ephemeral streams in the Southern Great Plains. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleolimnological significance of spinose and non-spinose morphs of Pyrgophorus hibbardi (Leonard and Franzen, 1944)

The basal portion of the Ogallala Formation (=Laverne Formation) (Lower Pliocene) Beaver County, Oklahoma, contains an interesting assemblage of non-marine fossil molluscs that include both spinose and non-spinose forms of the aquatic gastropod species Pyrgophorus hibbardi. The origin and paleolimnological significance of the spinose morph has been a source of much conjecture that has influenced environmental reconstructions of this assemblage. In one hypothesis the spinose forms of P. hibbardi are assumed to be associated with brackish water conditions by analogy with some populations of a related hydrobiid Potamopyrgus jenkinsi. To test the hypothesis that the spinose forms lived under different water conditions than the non-spinose morphs, we analyzed 10 specimens each of the two varieties for stable oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in the shell aragonite.The mean isotope ratios for the smooth and spinose morphs show no significant difference (oxygen: t = 0.28, df = 18, P (T t) 0.78 n.s.; carbon: t = 0.96, df = 18, P (T t) 0.35 n.s). We conclude that the lack of a statistically significant difference between the means of the oxygen and carbon isotope values for the smooth and spinose morphs suggests that the two forms lived in waters having similar isotope signatures. The considerable range in oxygen isotope values recorded by both morphs of P. hibbardi, including values as high as 5–6, suggest that both morphs were associated with waters which were periodically evaporatively enriched in ¹⁸O.     

2011年11月6日美国俄克拉何马5.6级地震震源参数测定及成因初步研究

2011年11月6日3时,美国俄克拉何马州发生了5.6级地震。此次地震是该地区100多年以来的最大地震,因该区地震活动性低,故需要对此次地震成因开展研究。本文采用CAP(Cut And Paste)方法对该地震分别进行近震、远震以及近远震联合反演,得到了震源机制解与震源深度。其中联合反演得到的机制解参数为:节面Ⅰ:234°/81°/-170°;节面Ⅱ:143°/81°/-9°;震级为MW=5.6。为了验证近震结果的可靠性,采用不同模型对近震数据进行反演测试,发现震源断层面解结果有3°的偏差,震源深度结果有0.5km偏差。CAP结果显示,该地震的质心深度为5.0km左右,属于浅源地震。同时,根据地震震源参数的标度分析,得到破裂区宽度约为7.0km,此次地震破裂区上缘可达1.4km深,下缘深度达8.4km。破裂上缘在该区域井的注水深度范围之内,由此推测该地震可能与当地页岩气开采过程中的注水活动有关。     

DUST FALL IN THE TAKLA MAKAN DESERT OF CHINA

The Takla Makan Desert is one of the supposed sources of eolian deposits in the eastern China and the North Pacific Ocean. Lack of direct measurements hinders the theoretical interpretation of material exchange between the atmosphere and land surface as well as the sediment budget of the region. From 1992 to 1994, four measuring sites were established in the vicinity of 84°E meridian along a 380 km observation traverse from the northern margin to the central desert. Data were collected on quantities of dust fall and sedimentary characteristics of airborne sediments, including grain-size distributions as well as chemical and mineral compositions. The quantities of annual dust fall were 10² to 10³ tons km^-2 yr^-1, increasing from the margin toward the central desert. Monthly concentrations of particles finer than 0.02 mm in diameter ranged from 0.06 to 1.25 mg m^-3 over the three-year observation period. The elemental ratio and the element enrichment factor ruled out the Takla Makan Desert as possible sources of the dust in Hawaii and Alaska. The mean geometric diameter of airborne sediments in the 4 to 8 m surface layer from the Luntai oasis was 0.038 mm and from the interior ranged 0.064 to 0.067 mm being moderately to poorly sorted. Weight percent of particles finer than 0.063 mm in diameter were from 83.5% to 47.7%, decreasing toward the central desert. Distributions of the airborne particles were unimodal with peak diameters of 0.06 to 0.07 mm in the central desert and 0.02 to 0.06 mm in the sites toward the edge of the desert. [Key words: dust fall, sedimentary characteristics, Takla Makan Desert.]     

Gentrification in the American heartland? Evidence from Oklahoma City

Past research on gentrification has focused overwhelmingly on older, postindustrial cities, bypassing urban areas with other morphologies and demographic characteristics. In this paper, we address this gap by applying the analytical tools used to examine gentrification in postindustrial cities to a less conventional setting: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a younger, sprawling, mid-sized American city. In 1993, voters passed a sales tax initiative designed to transform Bricktown, a depopulated rail and manufacturing neighborhood near the city’s center. This study examines the subsequent physical and cultural makeover of the area surrounding Bricktown by analyzing traditional gentrification variables, like income, household size, property values, and education. To these indicators, we add several additional variables, including business and restaurant types, which help illustrate shifting consumer preferences and the spatial change in businesses aimed at people in different income brackets.     

Spatial Variability and Persistence of Soil Moisture in Oklahoma

Using a hydrologic model to estimate daily soil moisture at 258 evaluation locations over a 30-year period, the spatial variability and persistence of soil moisture across Oklahoma is examined. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) uses readily available meteorological inputs with detailed land surface information. Spatial variability of soil moisture across Oklahoma is extremely dynamic and exhibits a remarkable range of individual characteristics due to the heterogeneous land surface. An autocorrelation analysis is used to evaluate the persistence of soil moisture at each evaluation location. In general, soil moisture across Oklahoma persists from 5 to 10 weeks in the eastern portion of Oklahoma to over 30 weeks in western Oklahoma as a result of the large-scale climatic variability of precipitation supply and evapotranspiration demand. However, the lags are not spatially coherent due to the heterogeneity of the land surface. Land surface characteristics potentially influencing the persistence of soil moisture across Oklahoma are examined, including vegetation type and soil texture and depth. Of the three parameters, soil depth plays a significant role in the memory of soil moisture conditions. As the soil profile depth increases, a corresponding increase in the persistence of soil moisture occurs.     

THE SUPREME COURT'S ROLE IN CHOCTAW AND CHICKASAW DISPOSSESSION*

ABSTRACT. During the nineteenth century, Indian groups throughout the United States saw their lands taken from them through a variety of means, including land cessions and allotment. The Choctaw and Chickasaw, two of the Five Civilized Tribes of the southeastern United States, endured this process of dispossession. Although the U.S. Congress promulgated much of this dispossession through treaty‐based territorial demands, the Supreme Court proved an able partner in the process by subverting treaty guarantees and expanding congressional power. The dispute over the area known as “Greer County” provides an example of the Supreme Court's role in Indian dispossession, for its ruling in 1900 extinguished the Choctaw and Chickasaw claim to most of southwestern Oklahoma, earlier treaty provisions notwithstanding.     

New‐Build Development and the Gentrification of Oklahoma City's Deep Deuce Neighborhood

New‐build development has become associated with the phase of gentrification that has taken shape since the mid‐1990s. This article examines the gentrification of Deep Deuce, a historically black neighborhood in Oklahoma City. An analysis of property sales identifies the major external agents involved and leads to a discussion of the area's racial turnover. Considering the relational aspects of place, specifically how the identity of Deep Deuce has been constructed in relation to the nearby area of Bricktown, provides new insights on the nature of changes affecting this neighborhood. Supplementing this with an examination of resistance to the gentrification of Deep Deuce shows how city neighborhoods can come to be defined by limited understandings of place, and how historic preservation efforts can generate symbolic capital and facilitate cultural appropriation. This article also contributes to the study of gentrification in smaller metropolitan areas.     

Clustering and classifying channel morphology in Eastern Oklahoma ecoregions using dissimilarity coefficients

Ecoregions are generally homogenous areas that comprise similar associations of geology, climate, soils, land use, and potential natural vegetation. However, a certain amount of physical variability exists in ecoregions which makes them spatially diverse in their characteristics. Euclidean Sum of Squares was used to calculate the amount of stream reach dissimilarity within and between three prominent eastern Oklahoma ecoregions: Boston Mountains, Ozark Highlands, and Ouachita Mountains. Dissimilarity proximity coefficients were used to cluster stream reaches and create exemplars for each cluster. Streams were classified using the Rosgen classification to evaluate whether dissimilarity values could be applied to the classification. Metrics used to calculate stream reach dissimilarity were median particle size, bankfull width, width–depth ratio, gradient, and sinuosity. Maximum stream reach dissimilarity between two sites within the same ecoregion is highest in the Ouachita Mountains (18.59) and followed by the Ozark Highlands (13.12) and Boston Mountains (9.58). Removal of ecoregion boundaries increased maximum proximity coefficient dissimilarity between two sites in the Ozark Highlands and Ouachita Mountains to 34.26. Utilizing the dissimilarity of channel morphology for the purpose of regional classification helps in the understanding of how broad-scale processes influence the fluvial system.     

Estimation of radar-rainfall error spatial correlation

The study presents a theoretical framework for estimating the radar-rainfall error spatial correlation (ESC) using data from relatively dense rain gauge networks. The error is defined as the difference between the radar estimate and the corresponding true areal rainfall. The method is analogous to the error variance separation that corrects the error variance of a radar-rainfall product for gauge representativeness errors. The study demonstrates the necessity to consider the area–point uncertainties while estimating the spatial correlation structure in the radar-rainfall errors. To validate the method, the authors conduct a Monte Carlo simulation experiment with synthetic fields with known error spatial correlation structure. These tests reveal that the proposed method, which accounts for the area–point distortions in the estimation of radar-rainfall ESC, performs very effectively. The authors then apply the method to estimate the ESC of the National Weather Service’s standard hourly radar-rainfall products, known as digital precipitation arrays (DPA). Data from the Oklahoma Micronet rain gauge network (with the grid step of about 5 km) are used as the ground reference for the DPAs. This application shows that the radar-rainfall errors are spatially correlated with a correlation distance of about 20 km. The results also demonstrate that the spatial correlations of radar–gauge differences are considerably underestimated, especially at small distances, as the area–point uncertainties are ignored.