Evolution of the crustal magma plumbing system during the build-up to the 22-ka caldera-forming eruption of Santorini (Greece)

The formation of shallow, caldera-sized reservoirs of crystal-poor silicic magma requires the generation of large volumes of silicic melt, followed by the segregation of that melt and its accumulation in the upper crust. The 21.8?±?0.4-ka Cape Riva eruption of Santorini discharged >10 km³ of crystal-poor dacitic magma, along with <<1 km³ of hybrid andesite, and collapsed a pre-existing lava shield. We have carried out a field, petrological, chemical, and high-resolution ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar chronological study of a sequence of lavas discharged prior to the Cape Riva eruption to constrain the crustal residence time of the Cape Riva magma reservoir. The lavas were erupted between 39 and 25 ka, forming a ～2-km³ complex of dacitic flows, coulées and domes up to 200 m thick (Therasia dome complex). The Therasia dacites show little chemical variation with time, suggesting derivation from one or more thermally buffered reservoirs. Minor pyroclastic layers occur intercalated within the lava succession, particularly near the top. A prominent pumice fall deposit correlates with the 26-ka Y-4 ash layer found in deep-sea sediments SE of Santorini. One of the last Therasia lavas to be discharged was a hybrid andesite formed by the mixing of dacite and basalt. The Cape Riva eruption occurred no more than 2,800?±?1,400 years after the final Therasia activity. The Cape Riva dacite is similar in major element composition to the Therasia dacites, but is poorer in K and most incompatible trace elements (e.g. Rb, Zr and LREE). The same chemical differences are observed between the Cape Riva and Therasia hybrid andesites, and between the calculated basaltic mixing end-members of each series. The Therasia and Cape Riva dacites are distinct silicic magma batches and are not related by shallow processes of crystal fractionation or assimilation. The Therasia lavas were therefore not simply precursory leaks from the growing Cape Riva magma reservoir. The change 21.8 ky ago from a magma series richer in incompatible elements to one poorer in those elements is one step in the well documented decrease with time of incompatibles in Santorini magmas over the last 530 ky. The two dacitic magma batches are interpreted to have been emplaced sequentially into the upper crust beneath the summit of the volcano, the first (Therasia) then being partially, or wholly, flushed out by the arrival of the second (Cape Riva). This constrains the upper-crustal residence time of the Cape Riva reservoir to less than 2,800?±?1,400 years, and the associated time-averaged magma accumulation rate to >0.004 km³ year^-1. Rapid ascent and accumulation of the Cape Riva dacite may have been caused by an increased flux of mantle-derived basalt into the crust, explaining the occurrence of hybrid andesites (formed by the mixing of olivine basalt and dacite in approximately equal proportions) in the Cape Riva and late Therasia products. Pressurisation of the upper crustal plumbing system by sustained, high-flux injection of dacite and basalt may have triggered the transition from prolonged, largely effusive activity to explosive eruption and caldera collapse.     

Quantifying aggregation and change in runoff source in accordance with catchment area increase in a forested headwater catchment

There has been a great deal of research interest regarding changes in flow path/runoff source with increases in catchment area. However, there have been very few quantitative studies taking subscale variability and convergence of flow path/runoff source into account, especially in relation to headwater catchments. This study was performed to elucidate how the contributions and discharge rates of subsurface water (water in the soil layer) and groundwater (water in fractured bedrock) aggregate and change with catchment area increase, and to elucidate whether the spatial variability of the discharge rate of groundwater determines the spatial variability of stream discharge or groundwater contribution. The study area was a 5‐km² forested headwater catchment in Japan. We measured stream discharge at 113 points and water chemistry at 159 points under base flow conditions. End‐member mixing analysis was used to separate stream water into subsurface water and groundwater. The contributions of both subsurface water and groundwater had large variability below 1 km². The contribution of subsurface water decreased markedly, while that of groundwater increased markedly, with increases in catchment area. The specific discharge of subsurface water showed a large degree of variability and decreased with catchment area below 0.1 km², becoming almost constant above 0.1 km². The specific discharge of groundwater showed large variability below 1 km² and increased with catchment area. These results indicated that the variabilities of stream discharge and groundwater contribution corresponded well with the variability of the discharge rate of groundwater. However, below 0.1 km², it was necessary to consider variations in the discharge rates of both subsurface water and groundwater. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of land-use changes on watershed discharge and water quality in a large intensive agricultural area in Thailand

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of land-use change on streamflow, sediment and water quality data along the Lower Yom River, Thailand, covering an intensively agricultural area of 14 613.6 km², and to assess the relative impact of point and non-point sources of pollution from multiple-land-use watersheds. Long-term calibration and validation of the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was performed on data for 2000–2013. Land-use change led to a 13–49% increase in runoff in the basin and resulted in 37–427% increased sediment yield. The amount of NO₃-N load doubled in the upper and middle parts of the study area, while the increase in PO₄^3– ranged from 37 to 377%, reflecting the increase in agricultural lands and urban areas. It is concluded that the changed land use is closely associated with the quantity of runoff, sediment yield and the NO₃-N and PO₄^3– concentrations.     

Future river flows and flood extent in the Upper Niger and Inner Niger Delta: GCM-related uncertainty using the CMIP5 ensemble

A semi-distributed hydrological model of the Upper Niger and the Inner Niger Delta is used to investigate the RCP 4.5 scenario for 41 CMIP5 GCMs in the 2050s and 2080s. In percentage terms, the range of change in precipitation is around four times as large as for potential evapotranspiration, which increases for most GCMs over most sub-catchments. Almost equal numbers of sub-catchment–GCM combinations experience positive and negative precipitation change. River discharge changes are equally uncertain. Inter-GCM range in mean discharge exceeds that of precipitation by three times in percentage terms. Declining seasonal flooding within the Inner Delta is dominant; 78 and 68% of GCMs project declines in October and November for the 2050s and 2080s, respectively. The 10- and 90-percentile changes in mean annual peak inundation range from ?6136 km² (?43%) to +987 km² (+7%) for the 2050s and ?6176 km² (?43%) to +1165 km² (+8.2%) for the 2080s.     

Observed Mass Balance of Mountain Glaciers and Greenland Ice Sheet in the 20th Century and the Present Trends

Glacier mass balance and secular changes in mountain glaciers and ice caps are evaluated from the annual net balance of 137 glaciers from 17 glacierized regions of the world. Further, the winter and summer balances for 35 glaciers in 11 glacierized regions are analyzed. The global means are calculated by weighting glacier and regional surface areas. The area-weighted global mean net balance for the period 1960?C2000 is ?270 ± 34 mm a^?1 w.e. (water equivalent, in mm per year) or (?149 ± 19 km³ a^?1 w.e.), with a winter balance of 890 ± 24 mm a^?1 w.e. (490 ± 13 km³ a^?1 w.e.) and a summer balance of ?1,175 ± 24 mm a^?1 w.e. (?647 ± 13 km³ a^?1 w.e.). The linear-fitted global net balance is accelerating at a rate of ?9 ± 2.1 mm a^?2. The main driving force behind this change is the summer balance with an acceleration of ?10 ± 2.0 mm a^?2. The decadal balance, however, shows significant fluctuations: summer melt reached its peak around 1945, followed by a decrease. The negative trend in the annual net balance is interrupted by a period of stagnation from 1960s to 1980s. Some regions experienced a period of positive net balance during this time, for example, Europe. The balance has become strongly negative since the early 1990s. These decadal fluctuations correspond to periods of global dimming (for smaller melt) and global brightening (for larger melt). The total radiation at the surface changed as a result of an imbalance between steadily increasing greenhouse gases and fluctuating aerosol emissions. The mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet and the surrounding small glaciers, averaged for the period of 1950?C2000, is negative at ?74 ± 10 mm a^?1 w.e. (?128 ± 18 km³ a^?1 w.e.) with an accumulation of 297 ± 33 mm a^?1 w.e. (519 ± 58 km³ a^?1 w.e.), melt ablation ?169 ± 18 mm a^?1 w.e. (?296 ± 31 km³ a^?1 w.e.), calving ablation ?181 ± 19 mm a^?1 w.e. (?316 ± 33 km³ a^?1 w.e.) and the bottom melt-21 ± 2 mm a^?1 w.e. (?35 ± 4 km³ a^?1 w.e.). Almost half (?60 ± 3 km³ a^?1) of the net mass loss comes from mountain glaciers and ice caps around the ice sheet. At present, it is difficult to detect any statistically significant trends for these components. The total mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet is considered to be too premature to evaluate. The estimated sea-level contributions in the twentieth Century are 5.7 ± 0.5 cm by mountain glaciers and ice caps outside Antarctica, 1.9 ± 0.5 cm by the Greenland ice sheet, and 2 cm by ocean thermal expansion. The difference of 7 cm between these components and the estimated value with tide-gage networks (17 cm) must result from other sources such as the mass balance of glaciers of Antarctica, especially small glaciers separated from the ice sheet.     

Use of Geophysical and Remote Sensing Data for Assessment of Aquifer Depletion and Related Land Deformation

An integrated approach [field, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), hydrogeology, geodesy, and spatial analysis] was adopted to identify the nature, intensity, and spatial distribution of deformational features (sinkholes, fissures, differential settling) reported over fossil aquifers in arid lands, their controlling factors, and possible remedies. The Lower Mega Aquifer System (area 2 × 10⁶ km²) in central and northern Arabia was used as a test site. Findings suggest that excessive groundwater extraction from the fossil aquifer is the main cause of deformation: (1) deformational features correlated spatially and/or temporally with increased agricultural development and groundwater extraction, and with a decline in water levels and groundwater storage (? 3.7 ± 0.6 km³/year); (2) earthquake events (years 1985–2016; magnitude 1–5) are largely (65% of reported earthquakes) shallow (1–5 km) and increased from 1 event/year in the early 1980s (extraction 1 km³/year), up to 13 events/year in the 1990s (average annual extraction > 6.4 km³). Results indicate that faults played a role in localizing deformation given that deformational sites and InSAR-based high subsidence rates (? 4 to ? 15 mm/year) were largely found within, but not outside of, NW–SE-trending grabens bound by the Kahf fault system. Findings from the analysis of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment solutions indicate that sustainable extraction could be attained if groundwater extraction was reduced by 3.5–4 km³/year. This study provides replicable and cost-effective methodologies for optimum utilization of fossil aquifers and for minimizing deformation associated with their use.     

Suspended sediment delivery from small catchments to the Bay of Biscay. What are the controlling factors?

The transport and yield of suspended sediment (SS) in catchments all over the world have long been topics of great interest. This paper addresses the scarcity of information on SS delivery and its environmental controls in small catchments, especially in the Atlantic region. Five steep catchments in Gipuzkoa (Basque Country) with areas between 56 and 796 km² that drain into the Bay of Biscay were continuously monitored for precipitation, discharge and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in their outlets from 2006 to 2013. Environmental characteristics such as elevation, slope, land‐use, soil depth and erodibility of the lithology were also calculated. The analysis included consideration of uncertainties in the SSC calibration models in the final suspended sediment yield (SSY) estimations. The total delivery of sediments from the catchments into the Bay of Biscay and its standard deviation was 272 200 ± 38 107 t yr.^?1, or 151 ± 21 t km^?2 yr.^?1, and the SSYs ranged from 46 ± 0.48 to 217 ± 106 t km^?2 yr.^?1. Hydroclimatic variables and catchment areas do not explain the spatial variability found in SSY, whereas land‐use (especially non‐native plantations) and management (human impacts) appear to be the main factors that control this variability. Obtaining long‐term measurements on sediment delivery would allow for the effects of environmental and human induced changes on SS fluxes to be better detected. However, the data provided in this paper offer valuable and quantitative information that will enable decision‐makers to make more informed decisions on land management while considering the effects of the delivery of SS. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GCM-related uncertainty for river flows and inundation under climate change: the Inner Niger Delta

ABSTRACT

A semi-distributed hydrological model of the Niger River above and including the Inner Delta is developed. GCM-related uncertainty in climate change impacts are investigated using seven GCMs for a 2°C increase in global mean temperature, the hypothesised threshold of “dangerous” climate change. Declines in precipitation predominate, although some GCMs project increases for some sub-catchments, whilst PET increases for all scenarios. Inter-GCM uncertainty in projected precipitation is three to five times that of PET. With the exception of one GCM (HadGEM1), which projects a very small increase (3.9%), river inflows to the Delta decline. There is considerable uncertainty in the magnitude of these reductions, ranging from 0.8% (HadCM3) to 52.7% (IPSL). Whilst flood extent for HadGEM1 increases (mean annual peak +1405 km²/+10.2%), for other GCMs it declines. These declines range from almost negligible changes to a 7903 km² (57.3%) reduction in the mean annual peak.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor not assigned     

Spatio-temporal variability of surface soil water content and its influencing factors in a desert area,China

Abstract

Knowledge of the variability of soil water content (SWC) in space and time plays a key role in hydrological and climatic modelling. However, limited attention has been given to arid regions. The focus of this study was to investigate the spatio-temporal variability of surface soil (0–6 cm) water content and to identify its controlling factors in a region of the Gobi Desert (40 km²). The standard deviation of SWC decreased logarithmically as mean water content decreased, and the coefficient of variation of SWC exhibited a convex upward pattern. The spatial variability of SWC also increased with the size of the investigated area. The spatial dependence of SWC changed over time, with stronger patterns of spatial organization in drier and wetter conditions of soil wetness and stochastic patterns in moderate soil water conditions. The dominant factors regulating the variability of SWC changed from combinations of soil and topographical properties (bulk density, clay content and relative elevation) in wet conditions to combinations of soil and vegetation properties (bulk density, clay content and shrub coverage) in dry conditions. This study has important implications for the assessment of soil quality and the sustainability of land management in arid regions.     

Temporal and Spatial Representativeness of Alpine Sediment Yields: Cascade Mountains,British Columbia

New alpine, lake-based sediment yield data are presented from a cirque basin in the alpine zone of the Cascade Mountains, British Columbia. Average rates of sediment deposition in Glacier Lake from a 1·33 km² basin where 7 ta⁻¹(BP ) 10 300–6845 BP , 8 ta⁻¹(BP ) 6845–3390 BP and 9·8 ta ⁻¹(BP ) 3390 BP to the present. The potential representativeness of the site is carefully assessed on the basis of three major axes of variability: lithology, climate and relief. Slope frequency data suggest the site is representative of the cirque component of the landscape but not of the whole alpine zone. The results emphasize the importance of considering the spatial variability of relief and the temporal variability of climate in assessing the representativeness of sediment yield data. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Historic and contemporary sediment transfer in an upland Pennine catchment,UK

A sediment budget for an upland catchment–reservoir system at Burnhope Reservoir, North Pennines, UK has been developed. This provides a framework for quantifying historic and contemporary sediment yields and drainage basin response to disturbance from climate change and human activities in the recent past. Bathymetric survey, core sampling, ¹³⁷Cs dating and aerial photographs have been used to assess sediment accumulation in the reservoir. The average reservoir sedimentation rate is 1·24 cm yr^?1 (annual sediment yield 33·3 t km^?2 yr^?1 ± 10%, trap efficiency 92%). Mean annual reservoir sedimentation over the 67 year period has been estimated at 592 t ± 10%. Inputs of suspended sediment from direct catchwater streams account for 54% of sediment supply to the budget (best estimate yield of 318 t yr^?1 ± 129%), while those from actively eroding reservoir shorelines contribute 328 t yr^?1 ± 92%. Sediment yield estimates from stream monitoring and reservoir sedimentation are an order of magnitude lower than those reported from South Pennine reservoirs of comparable drainage basin area. Analysis of historical rainfall series for the catchment shows fluctuations in winter and summer rainfall patterns over the past 62 years. From 1976 to 1998 there has been a diverging trend between winter and summer rainfall, with a large increase in winter and a gradual decrease in summer totals. Periods of maximum variation occur during the summer drought events of the late 1970s, early 1980s and mid‐1990s. Analysis of the particle size of core sediments highlights abrupt increases in sand‐sized particles in the top 20 cm of the core. Based on the ¹³⁷Cs chronology, these layers were deposited from the late 1970s onwards and relate to these diverging rainfall records and rapidly fluctuating reservoir levels. This provides evidence of potential sediment reworking within the reservoir by rapid water‐level rise after drought. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stratigraphy, chemistry, and eruptive dynamics of the 12.4 ka plinian eruption of Apoyeque volcano, Managua, Nicaragua

Apoyeque volcano, located 9 km northwest of Managua city, erupted explosively at 12.4 ka. The Plinian eruption deposited a widespread pumice fall deposit known as the Upper Apoyeque Tephra (UAq). The UAq is massive, reversely graded, and consists of white juvenile pumice (~78 vol.%), a variety of cognate lithics and accidental altered lithics. The whole-rock pumice composition is rhyodacitic (SiO₂?=?66.9–68.5 wt.%) with a mineral paragenesis of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, amphibole, titanomagnetite, and ilmenite in a rhyolitic glass groundmass (SiO₂?=?74.4?±?0.6 wt.%). The deposit’s dispersal axis is to the south, with the deposit covering a minimum area of 877 km² within the 50 cm isopach and has a total volume of 3 km³ (dense rock equivalent, 1.15 km³). The eruption column reached a maximum height of ca.28 km. The eruption ejected a total mass of 3?×?10¹² kg at an average rate of 2?×?10⁸ kg/s, and based on available models, we infer duration of almost 4 h. Petrographic and geochemical characteristics suggest that the eruption was triggered by magma mixing.     

Fluvial transport of suspended sediment and organic carbon during flood events in a large agricultural catchment in southwest France

Water draining from a large agricultural catchment of 1 110 km² in southwest France was sampled over an 18‐month period to determine the temporal variability in suspended sediment (SS) and dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) transport during flood events, with quantification of fluxes and controlling factors, and to analyze the relationships between discharge and SS, DOC and POC. A total of 15 flood events were analyzed, providing extensive data on SS, POC and DOC during floods. There was high variability in SS, POC and DOC transport during different seasonal floods, with SS varying by event from 513 to 41 750 t; POC from 12 to 748 t and DOC from 9 to 218 t. Overall, 76 and 62% of total fluxes of POC and DOC occurred within 22% of the study period. POC and DOC export from the Save catchment amounted to 3090 t and 1240 t, equivalent to 1·8 t km^?2 y^?1 and 0·7 t km^?2 y^?1, respectively. Statistical analyses showed that total precipitation, flood discharge and total water yield were the major factors controlling SS, POC and DOC transport from the catchment. The relationships between SS, POC and DOC and discharge over temporal flood events resulted in different hysteresis patterns, which were used to deduce dissolved and particulate origins. In both clockwise and anticlockwise hysteresis, POC mainly followed the same patterns as discharge and SS. The DOC‐discharge relationship was mainly characterized by alternating clockwise and anticlockwise hysteresis due to dilution effects of water originating from different sources in the whole catchment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment yield and storage variations in the Négron River catchment (south western Parisian Basin,France) during the Holocene period

In the Négron River catchment area (162 km²), surface‐sediment stores are composed of periglacial calcareous ‘grèze’ (5 × 10⁶ t) and loess (21 × 10⁶ t), and Holocene alluvium (12·6 × 10⁶ t), peat (0·6 × 10⁶ t) and colluvium (18·5 × 10⁶ t). Seventy‐five per cent of the Holocene sediments is stored along the thalwegs. Present net sediment yield, calculated from solid discharge at the Négron outlet, is low (0·6 t km^?2 a^?1) due to the dominance of carbonate rocks in the catchment. Mean sediment yield during the Holocene period is 7·0 t km^?2 a^?1 from alluvium stores and 7·6 t km^?2 a^?1 from colluvium stores. Thus, the gross sediment yield during the Holocene period is about 18·7 t km^?2 a^?1 and the sediment delivery ratio 3 per cent. The yield considerably varies from one sub‐basin to another (3·9 to 24·5 t km^?2 a^?1) according to lithology: about 25 per cent and 50 per cent of initial stores of periglacial grèze and loess respectively were reworked during the Holocene period. Sediment yield has increased by a factor of 6 in the last 1000 years, due to the development of agriculture. The very high rate of sediment storage on the slope during that period (88 per cent of the yield) can be accounted for by the formation of cultivation steps (‘rideaux’). It is predicted that the current destruction of these steps will result in a sediment wave reaching the valley floors in the coming decades. Subboreal and Subatlantic sediments and pollen assemblages in the Taligny marsh, where one‐third of the alluvium is stored, show the predominant influence of human activity during these periods in the Négron catchment. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of climate variability,drainage and land-cover changes on hemiboreal streamflow

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of climate variability, agricultural land drainage and afforestation of agricultural land on river discharge. The study was conducted in the Vienziemīte stream basin (6 km²), where discharge was monitored on a daily basis during the time period of 1946–2010. In the stream basin, natural afforestation of agricultural land began in the 1950s, and in the mid-1970s artificial drainage systems were installed in all agricultural land (70% of the total basin area). Climate variability and artificial drainage were the main factors observed to be affecting stream discharge. The changes were most evident in annual and seasonal mean, minimum and maximum streamflow. There was no effect of afforestation of agriculture land on stream discharge.     

Effects of historical land use on sediment yield from a lacustrine watershed in central Chile

Sediment yield in the San Pedro Lake watershed, inferred from sedimentation in the lake, can be related to land use changes shown on aerial photographs taken during the period 1943–1994. In this watershed, which covers 4·5 km² of mountainous terrain in San Pedro County, central Chile, the area of native forest species decreased from 70 per cent in 1943 to 13 per cent in 1994. During this same period, the area of pine plantations increased from 4 to 46 per cent. To study effects of these changes, we took a core from the centre of the lake and estimated sedimentation rates by ²¹⁰Pb dating, which we checked with ¹³⁷Cs and pine pollen. The results show that sedimentation rate ranged from 5 mg cm⁻² a⁻¹ in the late 1800s to 60 mg cm⁻² a⁻¹ in the late 1960s. These rates, together with assumptions about the production and delivery of the sediment, give corresponding figures for sediment yields with maximum values close to 1 t ha⁻¹ a⁻¹. Sediment yield between 1955 and 1994 closely tracks the total land use change that can be detected, irrespective of land use type, on sets of aerial photographs taken four to 18 years apart. However, this measure of land use change, while convenient and successful as a predictor of historical erosion, may be unreliable because it probably excludes many changes that occurred in long intervals between successive photographs. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flood‐based analysis of high‐magnitude sediment transport using a non‐parametric method

Upland erosion and the resulting reservoir siltation is a serious issue in the Isábena catchment (445 km² Central Spanish Pyrenees). During a three‐month period, water and sediment fluxes have been monitored at the catchment outlet (Capella), two adjacent subcatchments (Villacarli, 41 km²; Cabecera, 145 km²) and the elementary badland catchment Torrelaribera (8 ha). This paper presents the results of the monitoring, a method for the calculation of a sedigraph from intermittent measurements and the derived sediment yields at the monitored locations. The observed suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) demonstrate the role of badlands as sediment sources: SSCs of up to 280 g l^?1 were encountered for Villacarli, which includes large badland areas. SSCs at the Cabecera catchment, with great areas of woodland, barely exceeded 30 g l^?1. SSCs directly at the sediment source (Torrelaribera) were comparable to those at Villacarli, suggesting a close connection within this subcatchment. At Capella, SSCs of up to 99 g l^?1 were observed. For all sites, SSC displayed only a loose correlation with discharge, inhibiting the application of a simple sediment rating curve. Instead, ancillary variables acting as driving forces or proxies for the processes (rainfall energy, cumulative discharge, rising/falling limb data) were included in a quantile regression forest model to explain the variability in SSC. The variables with most predictive power vary between the sites, suggesting the predominance of different processes. The subsequent flood‐based calculation of sediment yields attests high specific sediment yields for Torrelaribera and Villacarli (6277 and 1971 t km^?2) and medium to high yields for Cabecera and Capella (139 and 410 t km^?2) during the observation period. In all catchments, most of the sediment was exported during intense storms of late summer. Later flood events yield successively less sediment. Relating upland sediment production to yield at the outlet suggests considerable effects of sediment storage within the river channel. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of climate change on the hydrology and water salinity in the Anzali Wetland,northern Iran

ABSTRACT

The impact of climate change on hydrology and water salinity of a valuable coastal wetland (Anzali) in northern Iran is assessed using daily precipitation and temperature data from 19 models of Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5. The daily data are transiently downscaled using the Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator to three climatic stations. The temperature is projected to increase by +1.6, +1.9 and +2.7°C and precipitation to decrease by 10.4%, 12.8% and 12.2% under representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. The wetland hydrology and water salinity are assessed using the water balance approach and mixing equation, respectively. The upstream river flow modelled by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool is projected to reduce by up to 18%, leading to reductions in wetland volume (154 × 10⁶ m³), area (57.47 km²) and depth (2.77 m) by 34%, 21.1% and 20.2%, respectively, under climate change, while the mean annual total dissolved solids (1675 mg/L) would increase by 49%. The reduced volume and raised salinity may affect the wetland ecology.     

Viriobenthos in aquatic sediments: variability in abundance and production and impact on the C-cycle

In the last 15 years viruses have been acknowledged as important components of the benthic microbial community, but our understanding of their role in the functioning of aquatic systems remains poor. Viruses can affect bacterial assemblages and mineralization activities, but the extent of their influence remains unclear. We synthesised available data on viriobenthos dynamics to understand which factors drive the variability in their abundance and production and to quantify their influence on the benthic carbon cycle. Results highlighted a large variability in viral abundance (from 2 × 10⁸ to 7 × 10⁹ virus ml^?1) and production estimates (from 1 × 10⁷ to 5 × 10⁸ virus ml^?1 h^?1) obtained with different techniques. This variability limits the comparability of data across studies and indicates the need to improve protocols and develop standard methods. The dynamics of viruses infecting prokaryotes appeared linked to prokaryotic metabolism, supporting the hypothesis that benthic viruses originate directly in the sediment as a result of infection events rather than sinking from the water column. Sediment characteristics (porosity, temperature, depth) appeared to effect viral production, mostly indirectly by influencing bacterial productivity and abundance, but possibly also interfering with the rate of virus–host encounter. Conversely, trophic status appeared unrelated to viral parameters. Viral contribution to carbon turnover appeared low and unrelated to temperature, water depth, trophic status and salinity. More detailed studies are needed to understand the pelagic contribution to the viriobenthos and the extent to which dissolved organic carbon released by viruses is effectively used by bacteria.     

Quantitative distribution of late Cenozoic volcanic materials in Japan

The late Cenozoic orogeny in Japan is briefly reviewed. Amounts of volcanic materials in the three periods of the orogeny are estimated at: early Neogene 150 × 10³ km³ (mafic 40 %, salic 60 %), middle and late Neogene 20 × 10³ km³ (mafic 70 %, salic 30 %), Quaternary 5 × 10³ km³ (mafic 80 %, salic 20 %). The largest volume per unit time is in the early Neogene, and the smallest in the middle and late Neogene. Volume per unit area becomes larger towards the southeastern margin or «front» of the volcanic belt. Thermal energy transported by volcanic materials is compared with the terrestrial heat flow in the belt.