Runoff and suspended sediment yields from an unpaved road segment,St John,US Virgin Islands

Unpaved roads are believed to be the primary source of terrigenous sediments being delivered to marine ecosystems around the island of St John in the eastern Caribbean. The objectives of this study were to: (1) measure runoff and suspended sediment yields from a road segment; (2) develop and test two event‐based runoff and sediment prediction models; and (3) compare the predicted sediment yields against measured values from an empirical road erosion model and from a sediment trap. The runoff models use the Green–Ampt infiltration equation to predict excess precipitation and then use either an empirically derived unit hydrograph or a kinematic wave to generate runoff hydrographs. Precipitation, runoff, and suspended sediment data were collected from a 230 m long, mostly unpaved road segment over an 8‐month period. Only 3–5 mm of rainfall was sufficient to initiate runoff from the road surface. Both models simulated similar hydrographs. Model performance was poor for storms with less than 1 cm of rainfall, but improved for larger events. The largest source of error was the inability to predict initial infiltration rates. The two runoff models were coupled with empirical sediment rating curves, and the predicted sediment yields were approximately 0·11 kg per square meter of road surface per centimetre of precipitation. The sediment trap data indicated a road erosion rate of 0·27 kg m^?2 cm^?1. The difference in sediment production between these two methods can be attributed to the fact that the suspended sediment samples were predominantly sand and silt, whereas the sediment trap yielded mostly sand and gravel. The combination of these data sets yields a road surface erosion rate of 0·31 kg m^?2 cm^?1, or approximately 36 kg m^?2 year^?1. This is four orders of magnitude higher than the measured erosion rate from undisturbed hillslopes. The results confirm the importance of unpaved roads in altering runoff and erosion rates in a tropical setting, provide insights into the controlling processes, and provide guidance for predicting runoff and sediment yields at the road‐segment scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Differences in SEM-AVS and ERM-ERL predictions of sediment impacts from metals in two US Virgin Islands marinas

Two US Virgin Islands marinas were examined for potential metal impacts by comparing sediment chemistry data with two sediment quality guideline (SQG) values: the ratio of simultaneously extractable metals to acid volatile sulfides (SEM-AVS), and effects range-low and -mean (ERL-ERM) values. ERL-ERMs predicted the marina/boatyard complex (IBY: 2118 microg/g dry weight total metals, two exceeded ERMs) would have greater impacts than the marina with no boatyard (CBM: 231 microg/g dry weight total metals, no ERMs exceeded). The AVS-SEM method predicted IBY would have fewer effects due to high AVS-forming metal sulfide complexes, reducing trace metal bioavailability. These contradictory predictions demonstrate the importance of validating the results of either of these methods with other toxicity measures before making any management or regulatory decisions regarding boating and marina impacts. This is especially important in non-temperate areas where sediment quality guidelines have not been validated.     

Coral bleaching indices and thresholds for the Florida Reef Tract, Bahamas, and St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

It is well established that elevated sea temperatures cause widespread coral bleaching, yet confusion lingers as to what facet of extreme temperatures is most important. Utilizing long-term in situ datasets, we calculated nine thermal stress indices and tested their effectiveness at segregating bleaching years a posteriori for multiple reefs on the Florida Reef Tract. The indices examined represent three aspects of thermal stress: (1) short-term, acute temperature stress; (2) cumulative temperature stress; and (3) temperature variability. Maximum monthly sea surface temperature (SST) and the number of days >30.5 °C were the most significant; indicating that cumulative exposure to temperature extremes characterized bleaching years. Bleaching thresholds were warmer for Florida than the Bahamas and St. Croix, US Virgin Islands reflecting differences in seasonal maximum SST. Hind-casts showed that monthly mean SST above a local threshold explained all bleaching years in Florida, the Bahamas, and US Virgin Islands.     

The effect of truck traffic and road water content on sediment delivery from unpaved forest roads

A study investigated the effect of truck‐traffic intensity and road water‐content on the quality of runoff water from unsealed forest roads. Three sections of a gravel‐surfaced forest road were instrumented and exposed to low and high levels of truck traffic during wet winter conditions and dry summer conditions between July 2001 and December 2002. Rainfall, runoff, road moisture, and traffic were measured continuously, and suspended and bedload sediments were integrated measurements over 2‐week site‐service intervals. The median suspended sediment concentration from the three road segments under low truck‐traffic conditions (less than nine return truck passes prior to a storm) was 269 mg l^?1, increasing 2·7‐fold to a median of 725 mg l^?1 under high truck‐traffic conditions (greater than or equal to nine return truck passes prior to a storm). These concentrations, and increases due to traffic, are substantially less than most previously reported values. When these data are expressed as modified universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) erodibility values K, accounting for differences in rainfall energy, site characteristics and runoff, high traffic resulted in a road surface that was four times more erodible than the same road under low traffic conditions. Using multiple regression, traffic explained 36% of the variation in MUSLE erodibility, whereas road water content was not significant in the model. There was little difference in the erodibility of the road when trafficked in low water‐content compared with high water‐content conditions (MUSLE K values of 0·0084 versus 0·0080 respectively). This study shows that, for a good quality well‐maintained gravel forest road, the level of truck traffic affects the sediment concentration of water discharging from the road, whereas the water content of the road at the time of that traffic does not (note that traffic is not allowed during runoff events in Victoria). These conclusions are conditional upon the road being adequately maintained so that trafficking does not compromise the lateral drainage of the road profile. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Runoff generation and sediment production on unpaved roads,footpaths and agricultural land surfaces in northern Thailand

Rainfall simulation was used to examine runoff generation and sediment transport on roads, paths and three types of agricultural fields in Pang Khum Experimental Watershed (PKEW), in mountainous northern Thailand. Because interception of subsurface flow by the road prism is rare in PKEW, work focused on Horton overland flow (HOF). Under dry antecedent soil moisture conditions, roads generated HOF in c. 1 min and have event runoff coefficients (ROCs) of 80 per cent, during 45 min, c. 105 mm h⁻¹ simulations. Runoff generation on agricultural fields required greater rainfall depths to initiate HOF; these surfaces had total ROCs ranging from 0 to 20 per cent. Footpaths are capable of generating erosion‐producing overland flow within agricultural surfaces where HOF generation is otherwise rare. Paths had saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s) values 80–120 mm h⁻¹ lower than those of adjacent agricultural surfaces. Sediment production on roads exceeded that of footpaths and agricultural lands by more than eight times (1·23 versus < 0·15 g J⁻¹). Typically, high road runoff volumes (owing to low K_s, c. 15 mm h⁻¹) transported relatively high sediment loads. Initial road sediment concentrations exceeded 100 g l⁻¹, but decayed with time as loose surface material was removed. Compared with the loose surface layer, the compacted, underlying road surface was resistant to detachment forces. Sediment concentration values for the road simulations were slightly higher than data obtained from a 165 m road section during a comparable natural event. Initial simulation concentration values were substantially higher, but were nearly equivalent to those of the natural event after 20 min simulation time. Higher sediment concentration in the simulations was related to differences in the availability of loose surface material, which was more abundant during the dry‐season simulations than during the rainy season natural event. Sediment production on PKEW roads is sensitive to surface preparation processes affecting the supply of surface sediment, including vehicle detachment, maintenance activities, and mass wasting. The simulation data represent a foundation from which to begin parameterizing a physically based runoff/erosion model to study erosional impacts of roads in the study area. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Runoff and road erosion at the plot and road segment scales,St John,US Virgin Islands

Previous studies have identified unpaved roads as the primary source of erosion on St John in the US Virgin Islands, but these studies estimated road erosion rates only as annual averages based primarily on road rill measurements. The goal of this project was to quantify the effect of unpaved roads on runoff and sediment production on St John, and to better understand the key controlling factors. To this end runoff and sediment yields were measured from July 1996 to March 1997 from three plots on naturally vegetated hillslopes, four plots on unpaved road surfaces and two cutslope plots. Sediment yields were also measured from seven road segments with contributing areas ranging from 90 to 700 m². With respect to the vegetated plots, only the two largest storm events generated runoff and there was no measurable sediment yield. Runoff from the road surface plots generally occurred when storm precipitation exceeded 6 mm. Sediment yields from the four road surface plots ranged from 0·9 to 15 kg m⁻² a⁻¹, and sediment concentrations were typically 20–80 kg m⁻³. Differences in runoff between the two cutslope plots were consistent with the difference in upslope contributing area. A sprinkler experiment confirmed that cross‐slope roads intercept shallow subsurface stormflow and convert this into surface runoff. At the road segment scale the estimated sediment yields were 0·1 to 7·4 kg m⁻² a⁻¹. Road surface runoff was best predicted by storm precipitation, while sediment yields for at least three of the four road surface plots were significantly correlated with storm rainfall, storm intensity and storm runoff. Sediment yields at the road segment scale were best predicted by road surface area, and sediment yields per unit area were most strongly correlated with road segment slope. The one road segment subjected to heavy traffic and more frequent regrading produced more than twice as much sediment per unit area than comparable segments with no truck traffic. Particle‐size analyses indicate a preferential erosion of fine particles from the road surface and a rapid surface coarsening of new roads. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimization strategies for sediment reduction practices on roads in steep,forested terrain

Many forested steeplands in the western United States display a legacy of disturbances due to timber harvest, mining or wildfires, for example. Such disturbances have caused accelerated hillslope erosion, leading to increased sedimentation in fish‐bearing streams. Several restoration techniques have been implemented to address these problems in mountain catchments, many of which involve the removal of abandoned roads and re‐establishing drainage networks across road prisms. With limited restoration funds to be applied across large catchments, land managers are faced with deciding which areas and problems should be treated first, and by which technique, in order to design the most effective and cost‐effective sediment reduction strategy. Currently most restoration is conducted on a site‐specific scale according to uniform treatment policies. To create catchment‐scale policies for restoration, we developed two optimization models – dynamic programming and genetic algorithms – to determine the most cost‐effective treatment level for roads and stream crossings in a pilot study basin with approximately 700 road segments and crossings. These models considered the trade‐offs between the cost and effectiveness of different restoration strategies to minimize the predicted erosion from all forest roads within a catchment, while meeting a specified budget constraint. The optimal sediment reduction strategies developed by these models performed much better than two strategies of uniform erosion control which are commonly applied to road erosion problems by land managers, with sediment savings increased by an additional 48 to 80 per cent. These optimization models can be used to formulate the most cost‐effective restoration policy for sediment reduction on a catchment scale. Thus, cost savings can be applied to further restoration work within the catchment. Nevertheless, the models are based on erosion rates measured on past restoration sites, and need to be updated as additional monitoring studies evaluate long‐term basin response to erosion control treatments. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identifying the spatial pattern and importance of hydro‐geomorphic drainage impairments on unpaved roads in the northeastern USA

Roads have been widely studied as sources of runoff and sediment and identified as pollutant production sources to receiving waters. Despite the wealth of research on logging roads in forested, upland settings, little work has been conducted to examine the role of extensive networks of rural, low‐volume, unpaved roads on water quality degradation at the catchment scale. We studied a network of municipal unpaved roads in the northeastern US to identify the type and spatial extent of ‘hydro‐geomorphic impairments’ to water quality. We mapped erosional and depositional features on roads to develop an estimate of pollutant production. We also mapped the type and location of design interventions or best management practices (BMPs) used to improve road drainage and mitigate water quality impairment. We used statistical analyses to identify key controls on the frequency and magnitude of erosional features on the road network, and GIS to scale up from the survey results to the catchment scale to identify the likely importance of unpaved roads as a pollutant source in this setting. An average of 21 hydro‐geomorphic impairments were mapped per kilometer of road, averaging 0.3 m³ in volume. Road gradient and slope position were key controls on the occurrence of these features. The presence of BMPs effectively reduced erosion frequency. Scaled up to the watershed and using a conservative estimate of road–stream connectivity, our results for the Winooski River watershed in the northeastern US suggest that roughly 16% and 6% of the average annual sediment and phosphorus flux, respectively, of the Winooski River may be derived from unpaved roads. Our study identifies an under‐appreciated source of water quality degradation in rural watersheds, provides insights into identifying ‘hot spots’ of pollutant production associated with these networks, and points to effectiveness of design interventions in mitigating these adverse impacts on water quality. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Catchment‐scale contribution of forest roads to stream exports of sediment,phosphorus and nitrogen

The relative contribution of forest roads to total catchment exports of suspended sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen was estimated for a 13 451 ha forested catchment in southeastern Australia. Instrumentation was installed for 1 year to quantify total in‐stream exports of suspended sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen. In addition, a total of 101 road–stream crossings were mapped and characterized in detail within the catchment to identify the properties of the road section where the road network and the stream network intersect. Sediment and nutrient generation rates from different forest road types within the catchment were quantified using permanent instrumentation and rainfall simulation. Sediment and nutrient generation rates, mapped stream crossing information, traffic data and annual rainfall data were used to estimate annual loads of sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen from each stream crossing in the catchment. The annual sum of these loads was compared with the measured total catchment exports to estimate the proportional contribution of loads from roads within the catchment. The results indicated that 3·15 ha of near‐stream unsealed road surface with an average slope of 8·4% delivered an estimated 50 t of the 1142 t of total suspended sediment exported from the catchment, or about 4·4% of the total sediment load from the forest. Stream discharge over this period was 69 573 Ml. The unsealed road network delivered an estimated maximum of 22 kg of the 1244 kg of total phosphorus from the catchment, or less than 1·8% of the total load from the forest. The average sediment and phosphorous load per crossing was estimated at 0·5 t (standard deviation 1·0 t) and 0·22 kg (standard deviation 0·30 kg) respectively. The lower proportional contribution of total phosphorus resulted from a low ratio of total phosphorus to total suspended sediment for the road‐derived sediment. The unsealed road network delivered approximately 33 kg of the 20 163 kg of total nitrogen, about 0·16% of the total load of nitrogen from the forest. The data indicate that, in this catchment, improvement of stream crossings would yield only small benefits in terms of net catchment exports of total suspended sediment and total phosphorus, and no benefit in terms of total nitrogen. These results are for a catchment with minimal road‐related mass movement, and extrapolation of these findings to the broader forested estate requires further research. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantifying the altered hydrologic connectivity of forest roads resulting from decommissioning and relocation

The decommissioning of roads is occurring in many forest environments with the aim of reducing the negative impacts of road runoff on water quality and aquatic habitat. Works associated with decommissioning are expensive so prior assessment of the outcomes of various options is merited. This paper presents a method of quantifying the degree to which a road is hydrologically connected to the stream network and thus the likely impacts of constructing a road of different configurations upon water quality. The method permits comparisons between different road network management options and is useful for assessing the likely result of decommissioning works. Emphasis is placed on quantifying the uncertainty of key performance measures. The procedures developed here are an extension of the probabilistic ‘volume to breakthrough’ model recently formulated by Australian water quality researchers and allow the quantification of road/stream connectivity without the need for extensive parameterization. To demonstrate its utility, the model was applied to an actual road decommissioning and replacement project in southeast Australia. Road areas and drainage outlets were surveyed in the field and flow paths to streams derived from a 1 metre resolution LiDAR based digital elevation model. The results demonstrate that the actual road decommissioning examined in this case was unlikely to reduce runoff to the stream network and that the overall impact of the works in conditions of design storms are likely to result in a net reduction in stream water quality. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of initiation thresholds and soil loss from gully erosion on unpaved roads on China's Loess Plateau

Gullies form easily on unpaved road surfaces during heavy rainstorms on China's Loess Plateau. The integrated effect of rainfall, topography, vegetation, land use, and other factors determines where and when gully erosion occurs; however, the mechanisms driving gully erosion on unpaved road surfaces need to be further understood. Repeated gully erosion on some roads during the storm season provides a good opportunity to better understand the mechanisms behind gully erosion. This article aimed to quantify the integrated threshold conditions required for gully initiation in terms of topography, event rainfall, and upslope land use, and to propose an event-based model to predict the position and magnitude of road gully erosion. Rill and gully erosion on unpaved roads were investigated after an extreme rainstorm of 212.2 mm in 2017 and a regular rainstorm of 83.8 mm in 2018. A digital surface model (DSM) derived from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images was used to analyze the road gradient (S) and upslope area (A). The runoff (Q_RS) of each road segment (RS) was estimated by the runoff curve number method. The results showed the following: (1) The mean and total gully volumes under the regular rainstorm were only 26.3% and 8.1% of those under the extreme rainstorm, respectively; (2) Gully formation on the surveyed roads under both the regular and the extreme rainstorm could be explained by the threshold relationship (S − 0.056)Q_RS^3.363 ≥ 72.444; and (3) A non-linear relationship between gully erosion in road segments and event runoff (Q_RS) and road gradient (S) was found, and was subsequently used to predict road gully erosion on an event basis.     

Relative contributions of runoff and sediment from sources within a road prism and implications for total sediment delivery

This study examines runoff and sediment generation rates within the road prism on unsealed road segments in the Cuttagee Creek catchment near Bermagui in New South Wales, Australia. A large (600 m²) rainfall simulator was used to measure runoff and sediment yields from each of the potential sediment and runoff sources and pathways. These included the road surface, table‐drain, upslope contributing area and cutslope face, and the entire road segment as measured at the drain outlet. Experiments were conducted on two major types of road (ridge‐top and cut‐and‐fill) of varying traffic usage and maintenance standard for two 30‐minute simulations of increasing rainfall intensity. From the range of possible sources within the road prism, the road surface produced the dominant source of excess runoff and sediment at each site with limited contributions from the table‐drain, cutslope face or contributing hillslope. Sediment generation varied significantly with road usage and traffic intensity. Road usage was strongly related to the amount of loose available sediment as measured prior to the experiments. Table‐drains acted primarily as sediment traps during the low rainfall event but changes in sediment concentration within the drains were observed as runoff volumes increased during the higher rainfall event of 110 mm h^?1, releasing sediment previously stored in litter and organic dams. The experiments demonstrate the potential roles of various features of the road prism in the generation and movement of sediment and water. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of suspended sediment loads in a seasonal stream in the wet‐dry tropics,Northern Territory,Australia

One year of instantaneous suspended sediment concentration, C, and instantaneous discharge, Q, data collected at Ngarradj downstream of the Jabiluka mine site indicate that the use of a simple C–Q rating curve is not a reliable method for estimating suspended sediment loads from the Ngarradj catchment. The C–Q data are not only complicated by hysteresis effects within the rising and falling stages of individual events, but also by variable depletion of available suspended sediment through multipeaked runoff events. Parameter values were fitted to an event‐based suspended sediment load–Q relationship as an alternative to the C–Q relationship. Total suspended sediment load and Q data for 10 observed events in the Ngarradj stream catchment were used to fit parameter values to a suspended sediment load–Q relationship, using (a) log–log regression and (b) iterative parameter fitting techniques. A more reliable and statistically significant prediction of suspended sediment load from the Ngarradj catchment is obtained using an event‐based suspended sediment load–Q relationship. Fitting parameters to the event‐based suspended sediment load–Q relationship using iterative techniques better predicts long‐term suspended sediment loads compared with log–log regression techniques. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A quantitative study of sediment delivery and stream pollution from different forest road types

The objective of this paper is to quantify, and enable the prediction of, sediment delivery and water pollution impacts from a spectrum of forest roads. Ten 100–200 m long sections of forest road were selected to incorporate a wide range of the key physical site factors that are likely to affect the rate of sediment generation. Each road section was permanently instrumented for 1 year to measure rainfall and runoff continuously. Suspended load, bedload, and traffic were integrated measurements over 2‐ to 3‐week site‐service intervals. Total annual sediment load (normalized for slope) varied about 25‐fold, from 216 mg m^?2 per millimetre of rain for a high‐quality gravel surfaced road with minimal traffic to 5373 mg m^?2 per millimetre of rain for an unsurfaced road on an erodible subsoil with moderate light‐vehicle traffic. For the seven gravel‐surfaced roads in this study, truck traffic (axles/week) explained 97% of the variation in annual sediment delivery (per unit of rainfall) from the road. Equations are proposed that allow annual sediment delivery rates to be estimated when net rainfall, road slope, road area, and truck traffic are known. Roads produce runoff rapidly and were found to deliver sediment for about the same duration as rainfall is falling, in this study varying between 5 and 10% of the time. The patterns of sediment delivery measured from the experimental roads (frequency, duration, and intensity) in this study are similar to levels that have been shown to alter the composition of in‐stream macroinvertebrate communities in small (e.g. <10 l s^?1), clean, mountain streams. However, in larger well‐mixed streams (e.g. >500 l s^?1), dilution is sufficient to prevent concentrations reaching critical levels that are likely to result in biological impacts. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gully erosion in the Siwalik Hills,Nepal: estimation of sediment production from active ephemeral gullies

A simple field‐based monitoring programme was established in a small catchment (area 4·6 km²) to find the rates of gully erosion in the Siwalik Hills, Nepal. The rates are used to estimate the amount of sediment produced by gully erosion in the catchment. Three large and active gullies were selected with areas ranging from 0·44 to 0·78 ha. Aerial photographs taken in 1964, 1978 and 1992 were ortho‐rectified and used to study the dynamics of gully heads. The same gullies were also monitored manually using an orthogonal reference system fixed by erosion pins around the gully heads. Results from the aerial photos indicated that the gullies expanded remarkably over the period from 1964 to 1992, by 34 to 58 per cent. Head‐retreat rates during that period were 0·48, 0·55 and 0·73 m a^?1 and average annual sediment evacuation was estimated as 2534 ± 171, 959 ± 60 and 2783 ± 118 m³ a^?1 for the three gullies respectively. From the field measurement, estimated volumes were found to vary from 731 ± 57 to 2793 ± 201 m³ a^?1 over the monitoring period of two years. It was also found that the gullies produce sediment which accounts for up to 59 per cent of the sediment produced from surface erosion in the headwater catchment. The findings are useful for planning and executing appropriate control measures and constructing a sediment hazard map at the catchment scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS critical zone observatory M-TROPICS dataset II: Land use,hydrology and sediment production monitoring in Houay Pano,northern Lao PDR

Mountain regions of the humid tropics are characterized by steep slopes and heavy rains. These regions are thus prone to both high surface runoff and soil erosion. In Southeast Asia, uplands are also subject to rapid land-use change, predominantly as a result of increased population pressure and market forces. Since 1998, the Houay Pano site, located in northern Lao PDR (19.85°N 102.17°E) within the Mekong basin, aims at assessing the long-term impact of the conversion of traditional slash-and-burn cultivation systems to commercial perennial monocultures such as teak tree plantations, on the catchment hydrological response and sediment yield. The instrumented site monitors hydro-meteorological and soil loss parameters at both microplot (1 m²) and small catchment (0.6 km²) scales. The monitored catchment is part of the network of critical zone observatories named Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS (M-TROPICS). The data shared by M-TROPICS in Houay Pano are (1) rainfall, (2) air temperature, air relative humidity, wind speed, and global radiation, (3) catchment land use, (4) stream water level, suspended particulate matter, bed particulate matter and stones, (5) soil surface features, and (6) soil surface runoff and soil detachment. The dataset has already been used to interpret suspended particulate matter and bed particulate matter sources and dynamics, to assess the impact of land-use change on catchment hydrology, soil erosion, and sediment yields, to understand bacteria fate and weed seed transport across the catchment, and to build catchment-scale models focused on hydrology and water quality issues. The dataset may be further used to, for example, assess the role of headwater catchments in large tropical river basin hydrology, support the interpretation of new variables measured in the catchment (e.g., contaminants other than faecal bacteria), and assess the relative impacts of both climate and land-use change on the catchment.     

Nonlinear relationship between preservation of microstructure and geochemical composition of Pleistocene brachiopod shells from the Ryukyu Islands,southwestern Japan

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope composition of fossilized brachiopod shells serves as an important source to delineate Earth's paleoenvironmental evolution in the Phanerozoic. However, the original isotopic composition is potentially modified by various kinds of diagenesis. To evaluate the extent to which the original isotopic composition of fossilized brachiopod shells is modified by meteoric diagenesis, microstructure, cathodoluminescence (CL) images, and carbon and oxygen isotope composition of fossilized Kikaithyris hanzawai (rhynchonellate brachiopod) shells were examined. The shells were collected from Pleistocene shallow marine carbonates exposed on the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan. The extent of diagenetic alteration is quantitatively evaluated here as both the preservation state of the original shell microstructure and the luminescence/non‐luminescence of shells. Although altered fibers were commonly observed in the brachiopod shells, the original isotopic composition was almost retained. There are no significant differences in the isotopic composition between the luminescent and non‐luminescent shells. There is no direct relationship between the preservation state of the original shell microstructure and the luminescence/non‐luminescence of shells at three of four horizons, indicating that CL images are not necessarily useful for the detection of diagenetic alteration of shells or shell portions. Applying multiple criteria to assessing diagenetic alteration and cross‐checking them are required to distinguish between diagenetically altered and unaltered brachiopod shells.     

Natural recovery from accelerated forest ditch and stream bank erosion five years after harvesting of plantation forest on Plynlimon,mid‐Wales

Erosion rates surveyed using 230 erosion pins on 24 occasions over eight years (1994–2001) on forested stream banks, tributaries and forest ditches in the 0·89 km² Nant Tanllwyth catchment, part of the Hafren Forest on Plynlimon, mid‐Wales, showed statistically significant increases of up to 40 mm a^?1 in mean erosion rates during the two‐year period in which environmentally sensitive plot‐scale timber harvesting operations took place (1996–97). In the four years following timber harvesting mean erosion rates at all sites recovered to levels that were lower than before the harvesting operations began. This is attributed to increased light levels, following canopy removal, allowing vegetation to colonize exposed banks. There was a statistically significant relationship (p < 0·05) between mean erosion rate in 2000–01 (four years after harvesting) and percentage vegetation cover at erosion monitoring sites in the clearfelled (south tributaries) area though the same relationship did not hold for sites on the mainstream banks or for sites on the north (mature forest) ditch sites. The implications of natural vegetation colonization for management of such streams are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Post-eruption erosion and deposition in the 1980 crater of Mount St Helens,Washington, determined from digital maps

The crater of Mount St Helens shows one of the world's highest known rates of mass wasting. On many summer days, rockfall is almost continuous, and many large rock and dirty-snow avalanches have travelled several kilometres from their sources on the crater walls. Since formation of the crater on 18 May 1980, talus cones exceeding 100 m in thickness have formed at the base of the unstable 600 m high crater walls. To estimate rates of erosion and deposition, a series of digitized topographic maps made from aerial photographs taken of the crater in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986 and 1988 were analysed using a geographic information system. Between 1980 and 1988, 30 × 10⁶ m³ of rock were eroded from the crater wall, representing a mean retreat rate of 2.1 m yr^?1. To account for the volume increase that occurs when bedrock is transformed into scree, this volume is multiplied by 4/3; this provides an estimate of the rock-debris volume supplied to the crater floor of 40 × 10⁶ m³. The actual volume of deposits that accumulated during this 8 year period, however, is 68 × 10⁶ m³. The difference of 28 × 10⁶ m³ is presumably the volume of snow intercalated between insulating layers of rock debris. Similar calculations for each of four time intervals between 1980 and 1988 suggest that wall erosion and thus talus accumulation rates are declining, but that rates will probably remain high for decades to come.