Thermal areas on Kilauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes, Hawaii

Active thermal areas are concentrated in three areas on Mauna Loa and three areas on Kilauea. High-temperature fumaroles (115–362° C) on Mauna Loa are restricted to the summit caldera, whereas high-temperature fumaroles on Kilauea are found in the upper East Rift Zone (Mauna Ulu summit fumaroles, 562° C), middle East Rift Zone (1977 eruptive fissure fumaroles), and in the summit caldera. Solfataric activity that has continued for several decades occurs along border faults of Kilauea caldera and at Sulphur Cone on the southwest rift zone of Mauna Loa. Solfataras that are only a few years old occur along recently active eruptive fissures in the summit caldera and along the rift zones of Kilauea. Steam vents and hot-air cracks also occur at the edges of cooling lava ponds, on the summits of lava shields, along faults and graben fractures, and in diffuse patches that may reflect shallow magmatic intrusions.     

Global change hydrology: Terrestrial water cycle and global change

1.Introduction Global Change Hydrology(GCH)is an emerging interdisciplinary field that links global change research and hydrology.GCH integrates hydrology,climatology,and geography to study the interactions between the terrestrial water cycle and global change across various time and space scales.The main objective of GCH is to understand the natural and anthropogenic causes of the changing terrestrial water cycle and the associated influences and feedbacks in the Earth system.     

Coastal lava flows from Mauna Loa and Hualalai volcanoes,Kona, Hawaii

A major carbonate reef which drowned 13 ka is now submerged 150 m below sea level on the west coast of the island of Hawaii. A 25-km span of this reef was investigated using the submersibleMakali'i. The reef occurs on the flanks of two active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Hualalai, and the lavas from both volcanoes both underlie and overlie the submerged reef. Most of the basaltic lava flows that crossed the reef did so when the water was much shallower, and when they had to flow a shorter distance from shoreline to reef face. Lava flows on top of the reef have protected it from erosion and solution and now occur at seaward-projecting salients on the reef face. These relations suggest that the reef has retreated shoreward as much as 50 m since it formed. A 7-km-wide shadow zone occurs where no Hualalai lava flows cross the reef south of Kailua. These lava flows were probably diverted around a large summit cone complex. A similar shadow zone on the flank of Mauna Loa volcano in the Kealakekua Bay region is downslope from the present Mauna Loa caldera, which ponds Mauna Loa lava and prevents it from reaching the coastline. South of the Mauna Loa shadow zone the - 150 m reef has been totally covered and obscured by Mauna Loa lava. The boundary between Hualalai and Mauna Loa lava on land occurs over a 6-km-wide zone, whereas flows crossing the - 150 m reef show a sharper boundary offshore from the north side of the subaerial transition zone. This indicates that since the formation of the reef, Hualalai lava has migrated south, mantling Mauna Loa lava. More recently, Mauna Loa lava is again encroaching north on Hualalai lava.     

Osmium isotopes in the aerosols of the mantle volcano Mauna Loa

Aerosols and reactive gases from the spring 1984 eruption of Mauna Loa Volcano on Hawaii were collected and analyzed for osmium and its isotopic composition. The measured¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os ratio of1.14 ± 0.03 is close to the ratio in matter with solar systemRe/Os abundance. This result shows that the aerosols from Mauna Loa originated in the mantle and that their composition was not or only slightly influenced by their contact with the crust.     

The Ninole Basalt — Implications for the structural evolution of Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii

Lava flows of the Ninole Basalt, the oldest rocks exposed on the south side of the island of Hawaii, provide age and compositional constraints on the evolution of Mauna Loa volcano and the southeastward age progression of Hawaiian volcanism. Although the tholeiitic Ninole Basalt differs from historic lavas of Mauna Loa volcano in most major-element contents (e.g., variably lower K, Na, Si; higher Al, Fe, Ti, Ca), REE and other relatively immobile minor elements are similar to historic and prehistoric Mauna Loa lavas, and the present major-element differences are mainly due to incipient weathering in the tropical environment. New K-Ar whole-rock ages, from relatively fresh roadcut samples, suggest that the age of the Ninole Basalt is approximately 0.1–0.2 Ma, although resolution is poor because of low contents of K and radiogenic Ar. Originally considered the remnants of a separate volcano, the Ninole Hills are here interpreted as faulted remnants of the old south flank of Mauna Loa. Deep canyons in the Ninole Hills, eroded after massive landslide failure of flanks of the southwest rift zone, have been preserved from burial by younger lava due to westward migration of the rift zone. Landslide-induced depressurization of the southwest rift zone may also have induced phreatomagmatic eruptions that could have deposited widespread Basaltic ash that overlies the Ninole Basalt. Subaerial presence of the Ninole Basalt documents that the southern part of Hawaii Island had grown to much of its present size above sea level by 0.1–0.2 Ma, and places significant limits on subsequent enlargement of the south flank of Mauna Loa.     

The Ninole Basalt — Implications for the structural evolution of Mauna Loa volcano,Hawaii

Lava flows of the Ninole Basalt, the oldest rocks exposed on the south side of the island of Hawaii, provide age and compositional constraints on the evolution of Mauna Loa volcano and the southeastward age progression of Hawaiian volcanism. Although the tholeiitic Ninole Basalt differs from historic lavas of Mauna Loa volcano in most major-element contents (e.g., variably lower K, Na, Si; higher Al, Fe, Ti, Ca), REE and other relatively immobile minor elements are similar to historic and prehistoric Mauna Loa lavas, and the present major-element differences are mainly due to incipient weathering in the tropical environment. New K-Ar whole-rock ages, from relatively fresh roadcut samples, suggest that the age of the Ninole Basalt is approximately 0.1–0.2 Ma, although resolution is poor because of low contents of K and radiogenic Ar. Originally considered the remnants of a separate volcano, the Ninole Hills are here interpreted as faulted remnants of the old south flank of Mauna Loa. Deep canyons in the Ninole Hills, eroded after massive landslide failure of flanks of the southwest rift zone, have been preserved from burial by younger lava due to westward migration of the rift zone. Landslide-induced depressurization of the southwest rift zone may also have induced phreatomagmatic eruptions that could have deposited widespread Basaltic ash that overlies the Ninole Basalt. Subaerial presence of the Ninole Basalt documents that the southern part of Hawaii Island had grown to much of its present size above sea level by 0.1–0.2 Ma, and places significant limits on subsequent enlargement of the south flank of Mauna Loa.     

Reef growth and volcanism on the submarine southwest rift zone of Mauna Loa,Hawaii

A marine sampling program, utilizing the PISCES-5 submersible operated by the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (NOAA), has confirmed the presence of a major submerged coral reef offshore from Ka Lae (South Point), Hawaii. The top of the reef is now 150–160 m below sea level. Radiocarbon and Useries dating indicates that it drowned about 13.9 ka by the combined effects of island subsidence (2.5 mm/year) and the rapid rise of sea level at the end of the last glaciation so that the relative submergence rate of more than 10 mm/year exceeded the upward growth rate of the reef. The submerged reef caps the offshore part of the southwest rift-zone ridge of Mauna Loa, which has apparently undergone little volcanic activity offshore since 170 ka, and possibly since 270 ka. This fact suggests that rift zone activity is becoming increasingly restricted toward the upper part of the volcano, a condition possibly heralding the end of the shield-building stage.     

Volume predictability of historical eruptions at Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes

Cumulative volumes of eruptions at the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes in Hawaii appear to fit a volume-predictable model (i.e., the volume of an eruption episode is approximately proportional to the time since the previous episode) for many larger episodes during long periods of time (decades). This observation suggests that the magmatic pressure of each volcano tends to drop to a common level at the end of these episodes during each such period.     

Rates of volcanic activity along the southwest rift zone of Mauna Loa volcano,Hawaii

Flow by flow mapping of the 65-km-long anbaerial part of the southwest rift zone and adjacent flanks of Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii, and about 50 new¹⁴C dates on charcoal from beneath these flows permit estimates of rates of lava accumulation and volcanic growth over the past 10,000 years. The sequence of historic eraptions along the southwest rift zone, beginning in 1868, shows a general pattern of uprift migration and increasing eruptive volume, culminating in the great 1950 eruption. No event comparable to 1950, in terms of volume or vent length, is evident for at least the previous 1,000 years. Rates of lava accumulation during the historic period were several times higher than the average rate for the preceding few thousand years along the southwest rift zone and adjacent flanks. Rates of lava accumulation along the zone have been subequal to those of Kilauea Volcano during the historic period but they were much lower in late prehistoric time (anpubl. Kilauea data byR.T. Holcomb). Thus, only about 30% of the surface of the southwest side of Mauna Loa has been covered by lava during the last 1,000 years, as contrasted with about 90% of the subaerial surface of Kilauea. Rates of surface covering and volcanic growth have been markedly asymmetric along Mauna Loa’s southwest rift zone. Accumulation rates have been about half again as great on the northwest side of the rift zone in comparison with the southeast side. The difference apparently reflects a westward lateral shift of the rift zone of Mauna Loa away from Kilauea Volcano, which may have acted as a barrier to symmetrical growth of the rift zone.     

Swarms of similar long-period earthquakes in the mantle beneath Mauna Loa Volcano

We present analyses of two swarms of long-period (LP) earthquakes at > 30 km depth that accompanied the geodetically observed 2002–2005 Mauna Loa intrusion. The first LP earthquake swarm in 2002 consisted of 31 events that were precursory and preceded the start of Mauna Loa inflation; the second LP swarm of two thousand events occurred from 2004–2005. The rate of LP earthquakes slowed significantly coincident with the occurrence of the December 26, 2004 M_w 9.3 Sumatra earthquake, suggesting that the seismic waves from this great earthquake may have had a dynamic triggering effect on the behavior of Mauna Loa's deep magma system. Using waveform cross correlation and double difference relocation, we find that a large number of earthquakes in each swarm are weakly similar and can be classified into two families. The relocated hypocenters for each family collapse to compact point source regions almost directly beneath the Mauna Loa intrusion. We suggest that the observed waveform characteristics are compatible with each family being associated with the resonance of a single fluid filled vertical crack of fixed geometry, with differences in waveforms between events being produced by slight variations in the trigger mechanism. If these LP earthquakes are part of the primary magma system that fed the 2002–2005 intrusion, as indicated by the spatial and temporal associations between mantle seismicity and surface deformation, then our results raise the possibility that this magma system may be quite focused at these depths as opposed to being a diffuse network. It is likely that only a few locations of Mauna Loa's deep magma system met the geometric and fluid dynamic conditions for generating LP earthquakes that were large enough to be recorded at the surface, and that much of the deep magma transfer associated with the 2002–2005 intrusion occurred aseismically.     

Diversion of lava flows by aerial bombing — lessons from Mauna Loa volcano,Hawaii

Lava flows from Mauna Loa volcano can travel the long distances from source vents to populated areas of east Hawaii only if heat-insulating supply conduits (lava channels and/or lava tubes) are constructed and maintained, so as to channelize the flow and prevent heat loss during transport. Lava is commonly directed into such conduits by horseshoe-or lyre-shaped spatter cones-loose accumulations of partially welded scoria formed around principal vents during periods of high fountaining. These conduit systems commonly develop fragile areas amenable to artificial disruption by explosives during typical eruptions. If these conduits can be broken or blocked, lava supply to the threatening flow fronts will be cut off or reduced. Explosives were first suggested as a means to divert lava flows threatening Hilo, Hawaii during the eruption of 1881. They were first used in 1935, without significant success, when the Army Air Force bombed an active pahoehoe channel and tube system on Mauna Loa’s north flank. Channel walls of a Mauna Loa flow were also bombed in 1942, but again there were no significant effects. The locations of the 1935 and 1942 bomb impact areas were determined and are shown for the first time, and the bombing effects are documented. Three days after the 1942 bombing the spatter cone surrounding the principal vent partially collapsed by natural processes, and caused the main flow advancing on Hilo to cease movement. This suggested that spatter cones might be a suitable target for future lava diversion attempts. Because ordnance, tactics, and aircraft delivery systems have changed dramatically since 1942, the U.S. Air Force conducted extensive testing of large aerial bombs (to 900 kg) on prehistoric Mauna Loa lavas in 1975 and 1976, to evaluate applicability of the new systems to lava diversion. Thirty-six bombs were dropped on lava tubes, channels, and a spatter cone in the tests, and it was verified that spatter cones are especially fragile. Bomb crater size (to 30 m diameter) was found to be inversely related to target rock density, with the largest craters produced in the least dense, weakest rock. Bomb fuze time delays of 0.05 sec caused maximum disruption effects for the high impact velocities employed (250 to 275 m/sec). Modern aerial bombing has a substantial probability of success for diversion of lava from most expected types of eruptions on Mauna Loa’s Northeast Rift Zone, if Hilo is threatened and if Air Force assistance is requested. The techniques discussed in this paper may be applicable to other areas of the world threatened by fluid lava flows in the future.     

Emplacement of the 1907 Mauna Loa basalt flow as derived from precision topography and satellite imaging

An eruption in January of 1907, from the southwest rift zone of Mauna Loa, produced a substantial lava flow field. Satellite images and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) survey data, along with observations and photographs from the field, are combined to provide a new perspective on the 1907 eruption. Boundaries of the flow field from the satellite data, combined with field measurements of flow thickness, indicate an area of 25.1 km² and a volume of 86.6 million m³. The eastern lobe of the flow field covers an area of 13.1 km², with a volume of 55.0 million m³, and was emplaced with an average effusion rate of 119 m³/s (at least, for the upper portion of the lobe). Ten DGPS topographic profiles across the eastern lobe aid in distinguishing the characteristics of, and transitions between, the zones identified during the emplacement of the 1984 Mauna Loa flow. Several subdivisions have been built directly on top of or adjacent to the 1907 lava flow. The strong likelihood of future eruptions from the Mauna Loa southwest rift zone makes these housing developments of particular importance for assessments of potential volcanic hazards.     

Climate change and consequences on the water cycle in the humid Xiangjiang River Basin,China

Anthropogenic activities have altered the climate and led to changes in the water cycle. Understanding the climate change and hydrological responses is critical to derive adaptive strategies for sustainable water resources management. In this study, we diagnosed the trends of primary climate elements and hydrological components during the past half century (1960–2009) for the humid Xiangjiang River Basin in central-south China at multiple temporal and spatial scales. The air temperature trend demonstrated an overall warming climate but with a quicker pace in recent years; however, the wind speed reduced significantly in the early period, and this downtrend had largely disappeared after the mid-1990s. Under such a shifting climate, the hydrological responses were not monotonic during the past 50 years: the evapotranspiration behaved in a decreasing trend in the early 35 years (1960–1994), followed by an uptrend in the later period (1995–2009). The stepwise analysis of soil water content and baseflow demonstrated a wetting trend followed by a drying one but with a steeper slope, indicating an accelerated drying trend which may cause a concern in stream water availability especially in the dry season. Spatial trend analysis showed that some areas experienced a downtrend (drying) in the dry season, but most areas had an uptrend (wetting) in the wet season for the whole study period. Overall, the analyses of temporal and spatial changes are useful for decision makers to deal with the continuing changes in climate and hydrology. This study also highlighted the necessity of climate change studies at multiple temporal and spatial scales.     

长江上游区域蒸发皿蒸发量变化及其对水分循环的影响

利用长江上游最近30年(66个测站)蒸发皿蒸发量和最近50年(90个测站)的7种气象要素,分析了蒸发皿蒸发量的区域变化趋势和影响蒸发皿蒸发量变化的因素;针对7个水文站的年径流量变化,探讨了蒸发皿蒸发量变化后对水分循环的影响.结果表明,长江上游蒸发皿蒸发量的变化可以划分为三个分区,研究区域东西两侧(青藏高原和大巴山一带)为显著减少区,分别命名为RⅠ和RⅡ,中间(云贵高原北部到黄土高原南缘以及由二者包围的四川盆地一带)为显著增大区,命名为RⅢ区.影响区域蒸发皿蒸发量变化的原因各有不同,青藏高原一带(RⅠ区)蒸发皿蒸发量减少的原因可归结于太阳辐射强度和风动力扰动减弱所致.大巴山一带(RⅡ区)减少原因是太阳辐射强度、风动力扰动强度、湿度条件都在显著下降所引起的.云贵高原到四川盆地一带(RⅢ区)蒸发皿蒸发量增加是环境气温强烈升高,导致其上空大气水汽含量显著减少,大气很干燥,引发蒸发过程加强所致.蒸发皿蒸发量发生变化的直接后果就是导致水分循环强弱发生变化,对于RⅠ区,尽管蒸发皿蒸发量减少,由于降水量和径流量增加的作用,这一区域的水分循环有所加强.在RⅡ区,降水量、径流量和蒸发量都在减少,因此RⅡ区水分循环显著减弱.在RⅢ区,降水量和径流量同时减少,而蒸发量增大,水量消耗增大,因此RⅢ区水分循环有减弱趋势.     

长江上游区域蒸发皿蒸发量变化及其对水分循环的影响

利用长江上游最近30年(66个测站)蒸发皿蒸发量和最近50年(90个测站)的7种气象要素,分析了蒸发皿蒸发量的区域变化趋势和影响蒸发皿蒸发量变化的因素;针对7个水文站的年径流量变化,探讨了蒸发皿蒸发量变化后对水分循环的影响.结果表明,长江上游蒸发皿蒸发量的变化可以划分为三个分区,研究区域东西两侧(青藏高原和大巴山一带)为显著减少区,分别命名为RⅠ和RⅡ,中间(云贵高原北部到黄土高原南缘以及由二者包围的四川盆地一带)为显著增大区,命名为RⅢ区.影响区域蒸发皿蒸发量变化的原因各有不同,青藏高原一带(RⅠ区)蒸发皿蒸发量减少的原因可归结于太阳辐射强度和风动力扰动减弱所致.大巴山一带(RⅡ区)减少原因是太阳辐射强度、风动力扰动强度、湿度条件都在显著下降所引起的.云贵高原到四川盆地一带(RⅢ区)蒸发皿蒸发量增加是环境气温强烈升高,导致其上空大气水汽含量显著减少,大气很干燥,引发蒸发过程加强所致.蒸发皿蒸发量发生变化的直接后果就是导致水分循环强弱发生变化,对于RⅠ区,尽管蒸发皿蒸发量减少,由于降水量和径流量增加的作用,这一区域的水分循环有所加强.在RⅡ区,降水量、径流量和蒸发量都在减少,因此RⅡ区水分循环显著减弱.在RⅢ区,降水量和径流量同时减少,而蒸发量增大,水量消耗增大,因此RⅢ区水分循环有减弱趋势.     

Global climate change and its impacts on water resources planning and management: assessment and challenges

Population explosion and its many associated effects (e.g. urbanization, water pollution, deforestation) have already caused enormous stress on the world’s fresh water resources and, in turn, environment, health, and economy. According to latest World Health Organization estimates, about 900 million people still lack access to safe drinking water, about 2.5 billion people lack access to proper sanitation, millions of people die every year from water-related disasters and diseases, and economic losses in the order of billions of dollars occur due to water-related disasters. With the global climate change anticipated to have threatening consequences on our water resources and environment both at the global level and at local/regional levels (e.g. increases in the number and magnitude of floods and droughts, increases in sea levels), a general assessment is that the future state of our water resources will be a lot worse than it is now. The facts that over 300 rivers around the world are being shared by two or more nation states and that there are already numerous conflicts in the planning, development, and management of water resources in these basins further complicate matters for future water resources planning. In view of these, any sincere effort towards proper management of our future water resources and resolving potential future water-related conflicts will need to overcome many challenges. These challenges are both biophysical science-related and human science-related. The biophysical science challenges include: identification of the actual causes of climate change, development of global climate models (GCMs) that can adequately incorporate these causes to generate dependable future climate projections at larger scales, formulation of appropriate techniques to downscale the GCM outputs to local conditions for hydrologic predictions, and reliable estimation of the associated uncertainties in all these. The human science challenges have social, political, economic, and environmental facets that often act in an interconnected manner; proper ‘communication’ of (or lack thereof) our climate-water ‘scientific’ research activities to fellow scientists and engineers, policy makers, economists, industrialists, farmers, and the public at large crucially contributes to these challenges. The present study is intended to review the current state of our water resources and the climate change problem and to detail the challenges in dealing with the potential impacts of climate change on our water resources.     

Vertical zonality of the water cycle and the impact of land-use change on runoff in the Qingshui River Basin of Wutai Mountain,China

ABSTRACT

Hydrological processes in hilly watersheds are significantly affected by variations in elevation; however, the hydrological functions of different vertical vegetation belts, have rarely been reported. The distributed hydrological model WEP-L (Water and Energy transfer Process in Large river basins) was applied to analyse vertical variations in the hydrological processes of Qingshui River basin (QRB), Wutai Mountain (altitude: 3058 m a.s.l.), China. The results show that the highest ratio of evapotranspiration to precipitation occurs at 1800 m a.s.l. Below 1800 m, evapotranspiration is mainly controlled by precipitation, and in regions above1800 m it is controlled by energy. The runoff coefficients for different vertical vegetation belts may be ranked as follows: farmland > grassland > subalpine meadow > evergreen coniferous shrub forest > deciduous broad-leaved forest. Grassland is the largest runoff production area, contributing approximately 39.10% to the annual water yield of the QRB. The runoff from forested land decreased to a greater extent than the grassland runoff. Increasing forest cover may increase evapotranspiration and reduce runoff. These results are important, not only for further understanding of the hydrological mechanisms in this basin, but also for implementing the sustainable management of water resources and ecosystems in other mountainous regions.     

Global change and marine communities: alien species and climate change

Anthropogenic influences on the biosphere since the advent of the industrial age are increasingly causing global changes. Climatic change and the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are ranking high in scientific and public agendas, and other components of global change are also frequently addressed, among which are the introductions of non indigenous species (NIS) in biogeographic regions well separated from the donor region, often followed by spectacular invasions. In the marine environment, both climatic change and spread of alien species have been studied extensively; this review is aimed at examining the main responses of ecosystems to climatic change, taking into account the increasing importance of biological invasions. Some general principles on NIS introductions in the marine environment are recalled, such as the importance of propagule pressure and of development stages during the time course of an invasion. Climatic change is known to affect many ecological properties; it interacts also with NIS in many possible ways. Direct (proximate) effects on individuals and populations of altered physical-chemical conditions are distinguished from indirect effects on emergent properties (species distribution, diversity, and production). Climatically driven changes may affect both local dispersal mechanisms, due to the alteration of current patterns, and competitive interactions between NIS and native species, due to the onset of new thermal optima and/or different carbonate chemistry. As well as latitudinal range expansions of species correlated with changing temperature conditions, and effects on species richness and the correlated extinction of native species, some invasions may provoke multiple effects which involve overall ecosystem functioning (material flow between trophic groups, primary production, relative extent of organic material decomposition, extent of benthic-pelagic coupling). Some examples are given, including a special mention of the situation of the Mediterranean Sea, where so many species have been introduced recently, and where some have spread in very large quantities. An increasing effort by marine scientists is required, not only to monitor the state of the environment, but also to help predicting future changes and finding ways to mitigate or manage them.