Characterizing the heterogeneity of karst critical zone and its hydrological function: An integrated approach

Spatial heterogeneity in the subsurface of karst environments is high, as evidenced by the multiphase porosity of carbonate rocks and complex landform features that result in marked variability of hydrological processes in space and time. This includes complex exchange of various flows (e.g., fast conduit flows and slow fracture flows) in different locations. Here, we integrate various “state‐of‐the‐art” methods to understand the structure and function of this poorly constrained critical zone environment. Geophysical, hydrometric, and tracer tools are used to characterize the hydrological functions of the cockpit karst critical zone in the small catchment of Chenqi, Guizhou Province, China. Geophysical surveys, using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), inferred the spatial heterogeneity of permeability in the epikarst and underlying aquifer. Water tables in depression wells in valley bottom areas, as well as discharge from springs on steeper hillslopes and at the catchment outlet, showed different hydrodynamic responses to storm event rainwater recharge and hillslope flows. Tracer studies using water temperatures and stable water isotopes (δD and δ¹⁸O) could be used alongside insights into aquifer permeability from ERT surveys to explain site‐ and depth‐dependent variability in the groundwater response in terms of the degree to which “new” water from storm rainfall recharges and mixes with “old” pre‐event water in karst aquifers. This integrated approach reveals spatial structure in the karst critical zone and provides a conceptual framework of hydrological functions across spatial and temporal scales.     

三峡水库不同间距高程消落带草本植物群落物种多样性与结构特征

植物群落结构特征与其生境具有重要关系.三峡水库消落带独特的水文状况和不同地区地理条件的差异导致其不同区域不同水位高程的植被群落结构差异.为研究三峡水库消落带典型区域植被群落结构特征,调查分析了位于三峡水库腹地的消落带上、中、下部3个不同间距高程(145~155、155~170、170~175 m)的草本植物群落物种组成、生物多样性和结构特征.结果表明:共发现49种草本植物,上、中、下部分3个高程物种数分别为4、18、45种,随高程的增加物种数呈较为显著的增加;3个高程草本植物平均盖度、平均密度和平均高度范围分别为(2.58%±1.29%)74.83%±2.57%、(43.58±85.93)466.08±48.04株/m²和(4.89±0.56)77.02±9.31cm.综合分析表明,三峡水库腹地小范围流域消落带草本植物物种组成和结构趋于简单化,由于受水淹胁迫影响及不同高程微生境的差异,不同高程消落带植物多样性有所差异,呈现出的群落特征也有所不同,因此应充分考虑不同水位高程物种组成和结构的差异性特征,分类(区)配置物种搭配、优化种间关系可促进消落带草本植物多样性以及群落结构的改善.     

Catchment‐scale conceptual modelling of water and solute transport in the dual flow system of the karst critical zone

Hydrological and hydrochemical processes in the critical zone of karst environments are controlled by the fracture‐conduit network. Modelling hydrological and hydrochemical dynamics in such heterogeneous hydrogeological settings remains a research challenge. In this study, water and solute transport in the dual flow system of the karst critical zone were investigated in a 73.5‐km² catchment in southwest China. We developed a dual reservoir conceptual run‐off model combined with an autoregressive and moving average model with algorithms to assess dissolution rates in the “fast flow” and “slow flow” systems. This model was applied to 3 catchments with typical karst critical zone architectures, to show how flow exchange between fracture and conduit networks changes in relation to catchment storage dynamics. The flux of bidirectional water and solute exchange between the fissure and conduit system increases from the headwaters to the outfall due to the large area of the developed conduits and low hydraulic gradient in the lower catchment. Rainfall amounts have a significant influence on partitioning the relative proportions of flow and solutes derived from different sources reaching the underground outlet. The effect of rainfall on catchment function is modulated by the structure of the karst critical zone (e.g., epikarst and sinkholes). Thin epikarst and well‐developed sinkholes in the headwaters divert more surface water (younger water) into the underground channel network, leading to a higher fraction of rainfall recharge into the fast flow system and total outflow. Also, the contribution of carbonate weathering to mass export is also higher in the headwaters due to the infiltration of younger water with low solute concentrations through sinkholes.     

Role of hydro-geochemical functions on karst critical zone hydrology for sustainability of water resources and ecology in Southwest China

Focusing on sustainability of water resources and ecology in the complex karst critical zone, we illustrated functions of the hydro-geochemical analysis on hydrology from the aspects of connection and interaction among hydrology–vegetation–soils/rock fractures along the karst subsurface profile. We reviewed isotopic and geochemical interpretations on tracing water sources for plant uptake, quantifying watershed outlet flow composition and residence times, and evaluating long-term evolution among climate–landscape–hydrology in the karst critical zone. In this paper, the application of the hydro-geochemical analysis on the above aspects in the karst areas of southwest China was summarized.     

Rock damage and regolith transport by frost: an example of climate modulation of the geomorphology of the critical zone

In this article we craft process‐specific algorithms that capture climate control of hillslope evolution in order to elucidate the legacy of past climate on present critical zone architecture and topography. Models of hillslope evolution traditionally comprise rock detachment into the mobile layer, mobile regolith transport, and a channel incision or aggradation boundary condition. We extend this system into the deep critical zone by considering a weathering damage zone below the mobile regolith in which rock strength is diminished; the degree of damage conditions the rate of mobile regolith production. We first discuss generic damage profiles in which appropriate length and damage scales govern profile shapes, and examine their dependence upon exhumation rate. We then introduce climate control through the example of rock damage by frost‐generated crack growth. We augment existing frost cracking models by incorporating damage rate limitations for long transport distances for water to the freezing front. Finally we link the frost cracking damage model, a mobile regolith production rule in which rock entrainment is conditioned by the damage state of the rock, and a frost creep transport model, to examine the evolution of an interfluve under oscillating climate. Aspect‐related differences in mean annual surface temperatures result in differences in bedrock damage rate and mobile regolith transport efficiency, which in turn lead to asymmetries in critical zone architecture and hillslope form (divide migration). In a quasi‐steady state hillslope, the lowering rate is uniform, and the damage profile is better developed on north‐facing slopes where the frost damage process is most intense. Because the residence times of mobile regolith and weathered bedrock in such landscapes are on the order of 10 to 100 ka, climate cycles over similar timescales result in modulation of transport and damage efficiencies. These lead to temporal variation in mobile regolith thickness, and to corresponding changes in sediment delivery to bounding streams. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Low carbon storage of woody debris in a karst forest in southwestern China

The properties of woody debris(WD) vary across different forests under various soil conditions.Owing to the relatively shallow and low amounts of soils on karst terrains, it is necessary to determine the WD carbon inventory of karst forests. In this study, we recorded WD with a basal diameter for standing snags and the largeend diameter for fallen logs of ≥ 1 cm. The carbon density of WD in a secondary karst mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest that had been clear-cut 55 years ago in southwestern China were inventoried in a 2 ha plot. Woody debris carbon density calculated using specific gravity and carbon concentration was 4.07 Mg C ha^-1. Woody debris with diameters ≥ 10 cm(coarse WD) constituted 53.8% of total carbon storage whereas WD < 10 cm in diameters(fine WD) accounted for more pieces of WD(89.9%).Lithocarpus confinis contributed the most WD carbon(26.5%). Intermediate decayed WD was relatively more abundant, but WD with final decay contributed the least to the total pieces of WD(6.7%). The contribution of WD to carbon storage of karst forest was low compared to other forests worldwide. Significant positive correlations were found between WD carbon and biodiversity(R^2= 0.035,p < 0.01) and elevation(R^2= 0.047, p < 0.01) and negative correlations was found in outcrop coverage(R^2= 0.034, p <0.01). Further studies are needed to elucidate the ecological functions of WD to better understand their roles in maintaining biodiversity, enhancing productivity, and controlling vegetation degradation in karst forest ecosystems.     

Mediation effects of vegetation,land use and cover change and karst characteristics on hydrologic processes in heterogeneous karst basins

A thorough understanding of the complex response of hydrologic processes to latent factors is of great significance for regional soil erosion and water resources management. However, what kind of mediation effect exists between hydrologic processes and latent factors is not yet clear, especially in heterogeneous karst regions. In this study, the elasticity coefficient method and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were used to investigate the mechanism of latent factors on hydrologic processes in karst basins and to explore the mediation effect between latent factors and hydrologic processes. The results show that the runoff of Yeji River Basin decreased during 1997–2004, but increased or stabilized since 2005. On the monthly scale, the runoff in July and December showed an ‘inverted V-shaped’ change. Both elasticity coefficient method and PLS-SEM showed that climate change contributed the most to runoff (direct effect accounted for 37.94% ~ 61.41%). In PLS-SEM, the total effect sizes of latent factors on runoff were as follows: climate change (0.751 ~ 0.963) > vegetation (0.296 ~ 0.740) > karst characteristics factors (KCF) (−0.454 ~ −0.563) > human activities (−0.036 ~ −0.528) > land use and cover change (LUCC) (−0.036 ~ −0.205). In the typical karst basin, two mediation pathways have been determined: human activities-vegetation/LUCC-runoff, where vegetation and LUCC had a mediation effect of relationships between human activities and runoff; climate change-KCF-runoff, where KCF had a mediation effect of relationships between climate change and runoff. Moreover, PLS-SEM is a preferred method to decouple the complex responses of hydrologic processes in heterogeneous karst basins to climate change and human activities than the elasticity coefficient method. This study conducted further research and exploration on the mechanism of hydrologic processes in heterogeneous karst basins, and provided valuable theoretical references for grassroots water managers to cope with water resources management under the context of future climate change.     

岩石的临界孔隙度反演及横波预测(英文)

临界孔隙度模型是利用岩石的临界孔隙度来计算岩石骨架的弹性模量,岩石的临界孔隙度值受到很多因素的影响,而实际应用中通常无法获得准确的临界孔隙度值,只能选取经验临界孔隙度值,就会给岩石物理建模带来误差。本文提出了一种利用纵波速度反演岩石的临界孔隙度的方法,并且把它应用于横波预测中。实验室和测井数据应用结果表明本文提出的方法可以降低以往选取经验值带来的不确定性,并且能够为横波预测提供准确的临界孔隙度值,提高了横波预测的精度。     

Chemical composition of snow cover in the taiga zone of the Komi Republic

Quantitative chemical analysis of snow cover were carried out in background territories of the southern, middle, and northern taiga of Komi Republic. The snow cover in the taiga zone of the northeastern European Russia (Komi Republic) shows low mineralization and acid pH. The acidity of melt water is caused by the predominance of strong mineral acids and deficiency of neutralizing compounds. A statistically reliable latitudinal differentiation was revealed in the distribution of macro- and microelements in the snow from the south to the north.     

Locating the zone of saline intrusion in a coastal karst aquifer using springflow data

Coastal fresh water aquifers are an increasingly desirable resource. In a karstic aquifer, sea water intrusion occurs as a salt water wedge, like in porous media. However, preferential flow conduits may alter the spatial and temporal distribution of the salt water. This is typically the case when the outlet of the aquifer is a brackish spring. This paper shows that salinity and flow rate variations at a spring, where salinity is inversely proportional to discharge, can help to understand the hydrodynamic functioning of the aquifer and to locate the fresh water-sea water mixing zone deep inside the aquifer. The volume of water-filled conduit between the sea water intrusion zone and the spring outlet is calculated by the integral over time of the flow rate during the time lag between the flow rate increase and the salinity decrease as measured at the spring. In the example of the spring at Almyros of Heraklio (Crete, Greece), this time lag is variable, depending on the discharge, but the volume of water-filled conduit appears to be constant, which shows that the processes of salt water intrusion and mixing in the conduit are constant throughout the year. The distance between the spring and the zone where sea water enters the conduit is estimated and provides an indication of the position where only fresh water is present in the conduit.     

Observing the critical zone on a critical budget: The Peri Lake experimental catchment

The Peri Lake Experimental Catchment, in Southern Brazil, is a small coastal lake (5 km², 7 m depth) with a total catchment area of 20 km². The catchment is mainly covered by subtropical Atlantic Forest. Peri Lake is a recreational destination, an important ecosystem for biodiversity preservation, and a major water supply source. Even though there is a clear social and economic relevance, the information on this ecosystem is scarce, especially regarding the dynamics of water balance and water quality. We built this observatory using a low-cost, low-technology monitoring system to estimate the major components of the water budget on what we called a critical budget. We monitor meteorology, rainfall interception in two plots, overland flow and groundwater connectivity in a representative hillslope; and streamflow and velocity are measured in several small headwater rivers mostly starting during 2015. Geographic information on topography, land cover, geology, soil characteristics and the location of all the equipment installed in the field are also provided. The data set can be used to understand rainfall interception in Atlantic forests, catchment connectivity and streamflow permanence in coastal areas, spatial patterns of baseflow, and the modelling of complex processes in the critical zone involving the interaction between surface and groundwater, that are important in coastal lake ecosystems. Besides being used for research and education, we hope this observatory built on a shoestring budget will encourage fieldwork particularly in underrepresented and underfunded regions of the world.     

Effects of grass and shrub cover on the critical unit stream power in overland flow

Improved knowledge of the effects of grass and shrub cover in overland flow can provide valuable information for soil and water conservation programs.Laboratory simulated rainfall studies were conducted to determine effects of grass and shrub on runoff and soil loss and to ascertain the relationship between the rate of soil loss and the unit stream power of runoff for a 20°slope subjected to rainfall intensities of 45,87,and 127 mm/h.The results indicated that the average runoff rates ranged from 4.2 to 73.1 mm/h for grass plots and from 9.3 to 58.2 mm/h for shrub plots.Runoff rates from shrub plots were less than those from grass plots for all but the 45 mm/h rainfall intensity regime. Average soil loss rates varied from 5.7 to 120.3 g/min.m~2 for grass plots and from 5.6 to 84.4 g/min.m~2 for shrub plots.Soil loss rates from shrub plots were generally lower than those from grass plots.Runoff and soil loss were strongly influenced by soil surface conditions due to the formation of erosion pits and rills.The rate of soil loss increased linearly with the unit stream power of runoff on both grass and shrub plots.Critical unit stream power values were 0.0127 m/s for grass plots and 0.0169 m/s for shrub plots.Shrub plots showed a greater stability to resist soil detachment and transport by surface flow than grass plots.     

Organic matter in snow cover in the influence zone of emissions from a pulp-and-paper mill

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic components of snow cover is carried out in the influence zone of emissions from a pulp-and-paper mill. The contribution of organic compounds to the pool of emissions of chemical pollutants during the period of snow cover formation is assessed. Criteria for establishing the pollution of natural complexes by organic substances in the influence zone of emissions from a pulp-and-paper mill are suggested.     

Understanding sustainability of soil and water resources in a critical zone perspective

<正>Soil and water resources are fundamental for human beings.Understanding the status and the evolution of regional water and soil resources is the prerequisite for their sustainable management.China is severely constrained by water and soil resources which are subject to soil forming processes under different natural factors such as climate and relief,and also influenced by diversified landuse histories and intensities.Quality and security of water and soil resources are therefore influenced by both natural and anthropogenic processes.     

Seepage mechanisms and permeability differences between loess and paleosols in the critical zone of the Loess Plateau

The soil in the Loess Plateau has special permeability characteristics due to the alternating distribution of loess and paleosol layers. Using an analysis of the physical properties, microstructure and thermogravimetric analysis of loess and paleosol, this paper examines strata seepage mechanisms in the loess tableland area and considers the applicability of a hydraulic conductivity empirical formula. The analysis shows that hydraulic conductivity attenuation with depth can be represented by a negative exponential model, while hydraulic conductivity values are not normally distributed. The best-fitting models of hydraulic conductivity in the horizontal (K_H) and vertical (K_V) directions are Gaussian models, and both have strong spatial correlations. This study of the difference in permeability between loess and paleosol found that the depositional environment was the dominant causal factor, making the average hydraulic conductivity of most loess layers greater than that of the underlying paleosol layers. Different microstructures between loess and paleosol also confirmed the microscopic explanation in permeability anisotropy and their permeability difference. Thermogravimetric analysis determined temperature ranges for different types of water lost by heat, and then calculated ratios of bound water mass to liquid limit, with an average of 0.768. A modified formula suitable for loess was obtained by integrating the consistency index method and effective porosity ratio model into the hydraulic conductivity empirical formula. Compared with the results of laboratory tests and uncorrected formulas, the modified formula provides a good estimate of strata hydraulic conductivity. Accurate understandings of seepage mechanisms and permeability differences in the loess area are important, promoting ecological restoration and providing scientific guidance for the sustainable development of the Loess Plateau.     

龙门山断裂带大地震孕震环境的岩石磁学证据

地震断裂带的孕震环境对于研究地震的发生至关重要.本文以汶川地震断裂带科学钻探2号（WFSD-2）钻孔岩心中的假玄武玻璃、碎裂岩及其围岩为研究对象,通过岩石磁学测试,并结合显微结构观察探讨龙门山断裂带大地震的孕震环境.WFSD-2岩心碎裂岩中的假玄武玻璃是龙门山断裂带曾经发生过大地震活动的岩石学证据,假玄武玻璃具有高磁化率特征,而碎裂岩的磁化率值与围岩相似,假玄武玻璃中的新生磁铁矿是其高磁化率值异常的重要原因之一.假玄武玻璃中较少量的新生磁铁矿暗示了假玄武玻璃的生成环境为含氧量较低的高温还原环境.大地震断裂的摩擦热是改变龙门山断裂带中假玄武玻璃岩石磁学特征的主导因素,流体作用较弱.无高磁化率异常的碎裂岩经历的温度小于300℃,推测假玄武玻璃的生成深度较深.WFSD-2岩心中20余层假玄武玻璃脉体证明映秀—北川断裂带是一条长期活跃的断裂带,龙门山断裂带上曾经发生了多次大地震断裂活动,这些大地震可能发生在深度较大、流体作用较弱的还原性孕震环境中.

     

Sequestration of carbon as carbonate in the critical zone:insights from the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau

The carbon pool stored in soil carbonate is comparable to the soil organic carbon.Therefore,secondary calcite precipitation in supersaturated catchment could be an important,yet poorly constrained,carbon sink within the modern global carbon cycle.The chemical analysis of some dissolved species transported by rivers,such as elevated Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios but also heavy stable Ca isotopic compositions,witness the formation of secondary calcite in rivers draining arid regions.However,in areas affected by active tectonics and rapid physical erosion,co-variations in the fluvial Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios could also be related to incongruent carbonate weathering processes.Here,we present a model to assess the roles played by incongruent carbonate dissolution and secondary calcite precipitation in modern weathering processes.We tested and applied the model to rivers draining the Himalayan–Tibetan region.The results suggest that regional aridity in the drainage basin promotes carbon sequestration as secondary carbonate but that for a given runoff,incongruent dissolution of carbonate possibly related to rapid physical erosion amplifies such sequestration.The isotopic compositions(~(13)C/~(12)C and~(18)O/~(16)O)of detrital carbonate transported by the main rivers in South and South-East Tibet imply that around 1%of the suspended material transported by those rivers corresponds to secondary carbonate and can represent between 5%and 15%of the alkalinity flux.Most of these alkalinity transported as particulate material is,nevertheless related to the weathering of carbonate lithologies and is also subjected to dissolution prior its final storage in sedimentary basins.However,on glacial-interglacial timescale this will amplify the significant role of mountain weathering on climatic variations.     

A review of POPs in the fragile critical zone of the Tibetan Plateau: transport and transformation

The near-surface environment of the Tibetan Plateau is a fragile critical zone. Our understanding of the transport and transformation of persistent organic pollutants(POPs) in the ecosystem has significantly improved with research conducted in recent decades. In the current study,POP concentrations in soils logarithmically decreased and fractionated with increasing distance from the source area,patterns attributed to air–soil exchange. Transport from soils resulted in the enrichment of POP concentrations in plants and sediments. The enantiomeric fraction indicated that transformation of POPs in soils was significantly correlated with altitude. At the same time, the chiral signature of POPs in soils was maintained from soils to sediments, while the chiral transformation from soils to plants was found to be complex.     

Probing the deep critical zone beneath the Luquillo Experimental Forest,Puerto Rico

Recent work has suggested that weathering processes occurring in the subsurface produce the majority of silicate weathering products discharged to the world's oceans, thereby exerting a primary control on global temperature via the well‐known positive feedback between silicate weathering and CO₂. In addition, chemical and physical weathering processes deep within the critical zone create aquifers and control groundwater chemistry, watershed geometry and regolith formation rates. Despite this, most weathering studies are restricted to the shallow critical zone (e.g. soils, outcrops). Here we investigate the chemical weathering, fracturing and geomorphology of the deep critical zone in the Bisley watershed in the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory, Puerto Rico, from two boreholes drilled to 37.2 and 27.0 m depth, from which continuous core samples were taken. Corestones exposed aboveground were also sampled. Weathered rinds developed on exposed corestones and along fracture surfaces on subsurface rocks slough off of exposed corestones once rinds attain a thickness up to ~1 cm, preventing the corestones from rounding due to diffusion limitation. Such corestones at the land surface are assumed to be what remains after exhumation of similar, fractured bedrock pieces that were observed in the drilled cores between thick layers of regolith. Some of these subsurface corestones are massive and others are highly fractured, whereas aboveground corestones are generally massive with little to no apparent fracturing. Subsurface corestones are larger and less fractured in the borehole drilled on a road where it crosses a ridge compared with the borehole drilled where the road crosses the stream channel. Both borehole profiles indicate that the weathering zone extends to well below the stream channel in this upland catchment; hence weathering depth is not controlled by the stream level within the catchment and not all of the water in the watershed is discharged to the stream. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.