Quantifying sedimentation patterns of small landslide-dammed lakes in the central Oregon Coast Range

Understanding sedimentation patterns in small coastal watersheds due to landscape perturbations is critical for connecting hillslope and fluvial processes, in addition to managing aquatic habitats for anadromous fish and other aquatic species in the Oregon Coast Range (OCR). Changes in sedimentation patterns spanning the last 250 years are preserved in two landslide-dammed lakes in small watersheds (< 10 km²) underlain by the Tyee Formation in the central OCR. Dendrochronology of drowned Douglas-fir stumps in both lakes provided precise timing of the damming and formation of the lakes, with Klickitat Lake forming in winter ad 1751/52 and Wasson Lake in winter ad 1819/20. Perturbations from wildfires, logging and road development, and previously underappreciated snow events affect sedimentation rates in the lakes to different degrees, and are identified in the sediment record using cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs), high-resolution charcoal stratigraphy, local fire records, and aerial photography. Each lake has variable sedimentation accumulation rates (0.05–4.4 cm yr⁻¹) and mass accumulation rates (0.02–1.42 g cm⁻² yr⁻¹). Sedimentation rates remained low from the landslide-damming events until the mid-19th century, when they increased following stand-replacing wildfires. Aside from a sediment remobilization triggered by human modification of the landslide dam at Klickitat Lake around 1960, the largest peaks in mass accumulation rates in the mid-20th century at both lakes in the early 1950s precede major road construction and logging activity in the watersheds. Subsequent sedimentation rates are lower, but variable, and possible effects of logging and road development might be exacerbated by abnormal precipitation and heavy snow events. A comparison of previous studies of landslide-dammed lakes in larger watershed of the OCR are consistent with our findings of increased sedimentation in the mid-20th century, as well as higher sedimentation rates in the debris-flow dominated southern Tyee Formation than in the lower-relief northern Tyee Formation.     

Two-particle models for the estimation of the mean and standard deviation of concentrations in coastal waters

In this paper we study the mean and standard deviation of concentrations using random walk models. Two-particle models that take into account the space correlation of the turbulence are introduced and some properties of the distribution of the particle concentration are studied. In order to reduce the CPU time of the calculation a new estimator based on reverse time diffusion is applied. This estimator has been recently introduced by Milstein et al. (Bernoulli 10(2):281–312, 2004). Some numerical aspects of the implementation are discussed for relatively simple test problems. Finally, a realistic application to predict the spreading of the pollutant in the Dutch coastal zone is described.     

Comparative application of two mathematical models to predict sedimentation in Yermasoyia Reservoir,Cyprus

The Yermasoyia Reservoir is located northeast of the town of Limassol, Cyprus. The storage capacity of the reservoir is 13·6 × 10⁶ m³. The basin area of the Yermasoyia River, which feeds the reservoir, totals 122·5 km². This study aims to estimate the mean annual deposition amount in the reservoir, which originates from the corresponding basin. For the estimate of the mean annual sediment inflow into the reservoir, two mathematical models are used alternatively. Each model consists of three submodels: a rainfall‐runoff submodel, a soil erosion submodel and a sediment transport submodel for streams. In the first model, the potential evapotranspiration is estimated for the rainfall‐runoff submodel, and the soil erosion submodel of Schmidt and the sediment transport submodel of Yang are used. In the second model, the actual evapotranspiration is estimated for the rainfall‐runoff submodel, and the soil erosion submodel of Poesen and the sediment transport submodel of Van Rijn are used. The deposition amount in the reservoir is estimated by means of the diagram of Brune, which delivers the trap efficiency of the reservoir. Daily rainfall data from three rainfall stations, and daily values of air temperature, relative air humidity and sunlight hours from a meteorological station for four years (1986–89) were available. The computed annual runoff volumes and mean annual soil erosion rate are compared with the respective measurement data. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Kalman filter estimation for periodic autoregressive-moving average models

An exact maximum likelihood procedure is presented for estimating the parameters of a periodic autogressive-moving average (PARMA) model. To develop an estimator which is both statistically and computationally efficient, the PARMA class of models is written using a state-space representation and a Kalman filtering algorithm is used to estimate the parameters. In order to demonstrate how to fit PARMA models in practice, the most appropriate types of PARMA models are identified for fitting to two average monthly riverflow time series and the new estimator is employed for estimating the model parameters.     

Cave sedimentation in the new Guinea highlands

This paper investigates the nature and processes of sedimentation of allogenic cave deposits in the high relief, everwet karsts of montane New Guinea. Under the high intensity rainfall regime, episodic mass movements in small karst catchments provide a wide range of sediment textures from clayey gravels to fine clays. These allogenic sediments are deposited into pools of water within the caves, giving sedimentary structures analogous to turbidites. Diamictons within the cave relate to episodic mudflows in the catchment. These deposits move as fluidized masses in a manner similar to some esker deposits. Cross-stratified sediments are formed by dumping of pulses of sediment laden water into deep pools. Extremely fine-grained clays and muds accrete parallel to underlying surfaces following flood pulses. These deposits represent the last phase of catchment instability, when a small amount of slopewash occurs. Catchment processes are dominated by solution and episodic mass movements. When the thick root mat which masks the ground is disrupted, some slopewash occurs but it is not a major component in catchment processes.     

Impact of natural reforestation on floodplain sedimentation in the Dragonja basin,SW Slovenia

Changes in floodplain sediment dynamics have profound effects on riverine habitats and riparian biodiversity. Depopulation due to socio‐economic changes in the Dragonja catchment (91 km²) in southwestern Slovenia resulted in the abandonment of agricultural fields, followed by natural reforestation since 1945. This profoundly changed the water and sediment supply to the streams, as well as floodplain sediment deposition. This paper presents a reconstruction of the development of the Dragonja floodplain due to these land use changes during the last 60 years. The reconstruction is based on dating of floodplain sediments using ¹³⁷Cs profiles, measurement of actual sedimentation rates using artificial grass sedimentation mats, and linking this information to the present‐day hydrological behaviour of the river. The sedimentation mats showed that floodplain sedimentation was restricted to peak flows of considerable magnitude. Due to the reforestation, the return period of such high flows increased from 0·31 year in the period 1960–1985 to 0·81 year between 1986 and 2003, with commensurate changes in sedimentation rates. At the 1·5 m river terrace (formed about 60 years ago), ¹³⁷Cs‐based sedimentation rates (1960–1986) were roughly twice the rates inferred from the artificial grass mats (2001–2003). This finding matches the increase in the return period for larger peak events during the 1986–2003 period, which caused fewer major inundations at this level. Conversely, sedimentation rates determined for the lowest terrace at 0·5 m were similar for both techniques (and periods) because the return periods of the peak events responsible for sediment deposition at this lower level did not change much over the period 1986–2003. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of recovery factor for simulation of non-equilibrium sedimentation in reservoir

It is generally acceptable to assume that bed material load is equal to sediment transport capacity, if the exchange between bed and flow occurs instantaneously. However, for non-equilibrium sediment t...     

Thresholds for gully initiation and sedimentation in Mediterranean Europe

In Mediterranean areas the dynamics of gully development act as an important indicator of desertification. However, little is known about the influence of climate and land‐use changes, and almost no field data exist to assess the sensitivity of a landscape to gully erosion. Two important components of gully erosion studies are the prediction of where gullies begin and where they end. To address some of these issues, topographical thresholds for gully initiation and sedimentation in six different Mediterranean study areas were established. Field measurements of local soil surface slope (S) and drainage‐basin area (A) at the point of initiation of ephemeral gullies in intensively cultivated fields (five datasets) and permanent gullies in rangelands (three datasets) were carried out. A negative power relationship of the form S = aA^−b was fitted through all datasets, and defined as the mean topographical threshold for gullying in the respective area. Topographically controlled slopes of sedimentation at the gully bottom were also measured. Compared to theoretical relationships for channel initiation by overland flow, relatively low values for b are obtained, suggesting a dominance of overland flow and an influence of subsurface flow. The influence of landsliding at steeper slopes appeared from the flattening of the overall negative trend in the higher slope range (S > 0·30) of the integrated dataset. Comparing the threshold lines of our datasets to the average trend lines through data found in literature revealed that vegetation type and cover could better explain differences in topographical thresholds level than climatic conditions. In cultivated fields, soil structure and moisture conditions, as determined by the rainfall distribution, are critical factors influencing topographical thresholds rather than daily rainfall amounts of the gully‐initiating events. In rangelands, vegetation cover at the time of incision appears to be the most important factor differentiating between topographical thresholds, overruling the effect of average annual rainfall amounts. Soil texture and rock fragment cover contributed little to the explanation of the relative threshold levels. Differences in regression slopes (b) between the S–A relationships found in this study have been attributed to the soil characteristics in the different study areas, determining the relative importance of subsurface flow and Hortonian overland flow. Sedimentation slopes where both ephemeral and permanent gullies end were generally high because of the high rock fragment content of the transported sediment. A positive relationship was found between the rock fragment content at the apex of the sedimentation fan and the slope of the soil surface at this location. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on phytoplankton composition and biomass in 15 subtropical, urban shallow lakes in Wuhan, China

This study aims at investigating the composition and biomass of the phytoplankton community in 15 urban shallow eutrophic lakes as well as the effects of main environmental factors, including nutrient concentrations and the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus, temperature, COD, BOD, water depth, etc. on the phytoplankton community structure. Lake water samples were taken and analyzed on a bimonthly basis during the period from March 2004 to March 2006. The redundancy analysis (RDA) and regression analysis (RA) were performed to identify the effects of nutrients on the phytoplankton community and biomass in these typical urban lakes. The results indicate that most of these urban lakes were hypertrophic due to high concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN), with mean levels of 490 and 5380 mg m⁻³, respectively. The phytoplankton community was dominated by Microcystis aeruginosa and Euglena caudate in summer and Cryptomonas ovata and Cyclotella meneghiniana in winter. The mean biomass of the phytoplankton reached 456.87 mg L⁻¹ in summer months and the annual level was 189.24 mg L⁻¹. Temperature and TP content were found to be the principal limiting factors for phytoplankton growth on an annual basis. On the other hand, the results of RDA and RA demonstrate that the dominant phytoplankton species were not nutrient-limited during summer months. Low TN:TP ratios (<10) were detected accompanied with fewer occurrences of N-fixing cyanobacteria and other filamentous algae in most lakes in summer, which implies that low N:P ratio does not always shifts the dominance of phytoplankton community to the N-fixing cyanobacteria. Moreover, TP always had higher correlation with chlorophyll a (Chl-a) than TN, even when the TN:TP ratios of most samples were lower than 10. Therefore, it is concluded that the TN:TP ratio is not always a suitable index to determine whether nitrogen or phosphorus limits the phytoplankton biomass in urban shallow eutrophic lakes.     

Volcanogenic sedimentation in the Iceland Basin: influence of subaerial and subglacial eruptions

Cores recovered from the Iceland Basin show evidence of transport and deposition of volcaniclastic sediment from the Eastern Volcanic Zone of Iceland during the Holocene and last glacial period. Three types of deposits have been identified: tephra fall, sediment gravity flows, and bottom-current-controlled deposits. Tephra fall layers contain basaltic glass of composition that suggests Katla volcano as the major source. A chronology of the volcano activity is reconstructed, back to isotopic stage 5d (120,000 yr). Glass chemistry of tephra in sediment gravity flows deposited south of Myrdalsjökull Canyon indicates a source in the Grímsvötn–Lakagígar volcanic system. These volcaniclastic gravity flows were most likely derived from jökulhlaups or large glacial floods, at a time of a more extensive ice cover over the volcanic zone. Deposition of the sediment gravity flows has created a deep-sea fan south of the canyon. Basalt glass composition, age, and depositional environment suggest that one early Holocene turbidite sequence was derived from a large jökulhlaup of the Grímsvötn area. The volcanogenic sediment gravity flows were influenced by a strong contour current, moving across the Katla sediment ridges. The contour current has winnowed the silt fraction and transported it downstream as suspended load. The recovery of numerous silty volcaniclastic layers, enriched in detrital crystals, indicates that they contributed to the sedimentation of contourite drifts.     

Statistical estimation of corner frequency and its application to seismic event-identification

A statistical method is proposed for estimation of the corner frequency. It is based on inference for a stochastic model whose short-term behavior resembles the established source time functions. Properties of the estimates are investigated and some numerical examples are presented. A discussion concerning earthquake–explosion discrimination and the way corner frequency can be related to the rate of zero-crossings is also included. The paper is concluded with some numerical examples.     

Dynamics of phosphorus in sediments of a naturally acidic lake

The mechanisms which controls the fixation and/or release of P in sediment of an extremely acidic lake（pH = 2.0 to 3.0） and its response to the influence of eutrophic urban waste water were investigated.The results,in the chemical composition,in the mineralogy of the sediment and in the material as obtained from sediment traps,show that the lake sediments are mainly volcanic material reflecting volcanic features of the basin.The sedimentation rate calculated for the lake(2.5×10^-2 mg m^-2 day^-1) was higher than that observed in other similar glacial lakes in both Andean Patagonia and also elsewhere in the world.The Total Phosphorus concentration in sediments was higher than figures reported by other authors for mining acid lakes,and the main fraction of P was found associated with organic matter.There was no control by Fe or Al on P,because both are in solution at pH < 3.0.It was concluded that changes in the natural input of nutrients（derivatives of Copahue volcano fluid,the discharge of sewage,or basin run-off） are responsible for a high concentration of SRP and N-NH₄⁺ in the lake.Laboratory experiments showed that sediments have no ability to retain phosphorus and a continuous release of P from the sediments into the water column was observed.The assays where the pH was artificially increased showed that the P still remains in solution until at least pH 7.0.It was concluded that changes in the natural input of nutrients due to:1) the volcanic fluids,2) the increase in sewage charges,or 3) surface runoff upstream,maintain a high trophic state with high concentrations of dissolved P and N-NH₄⁺,although the threshold of neutral pH in the lake is exceeded.This study will enable a better understanding about of the mechanism of release/fixation of phosphorus in acidic sediments in order to assist in making decisions regarding the conservation and management of this natural environment.     

Effects of Interpolation Errors on the Analysis of DEMs

A suite of methods to interpolate a digital elevation model from a ground survey was evaluated with respect to precision and ability to maintain the shape of the original height data. This shape reliability was evaluated by comparing the spatial patterns of secondary terrain parameters derived from the interpolated elevation data. The best interpolation method for this study area was found to be a spline interpolation, which is somewhat contradictory to findings in the literature. The error and uncertainty found in the results for terrain analysis and modelling tools is important and sometimes distressingly high, even for some frequently used local or context operations on altitude. Positional operations, in which the output is determined more by the position in the topographic structure, seem to give more reliable results. Therefore, the results obtained by terrain analysis and spatial modelling need careful interpretation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate warming and the onset of salinization: Rapid changes in the limnology of two northern plains lakes

Water resources of the interior plains region of North America may be adversely affected by climate warming. The climate records of the Battleford region (west central Saskatchewan) indicate that mean annual temperatures have risen by 0.71 °C and mean annual minimum temperatures have risen by 1.03 °C from 1894 to 2007. Snowfall has also increased but total precipitation has not. Concomitant with periodic declines in precipitation, lake elevation has declined and salinity has increased in Jackfish and Murray lakes from 1938 to 2004. This long term increase in salinity is predicted to have caused an approximate 30% loss in diversity of macrobenthos. Phosphorus concentrations have also increased significantly, and Jackfish and Murray lakes would be classified as eutrophic by freshwater trophic indices. However, despite large increases in nutrients in both lakes, algal biomass has not increased and water transparency has not decreased. Although the total amount of planktonic biomass in Jackfish and Murray’s food web is similar to that of freshwater lakes, these lakes contain very low algal biomass (measured as chlorophyll a). In fact, such low algal biomass has not been previously observed in such dilute systems. The algal community in these shallow Prairie lakes appears to be very sensitive to slight changes in climate, and future climate driven increases in salinity of prairie lakes may result in large reductions in algal primary productivity.     

Conductivity as a predictor of a total cations and salinity in Ethiopian lakes and rivers: revisiting earlier models

We used regression analyses of water samples from 18 lakes, nine rivers, and one spring in Ethiopia to (a) test the hypothesis that water bodies of relatively higher salinity (K₂₅>1000 μS cm⁻¹) have a different conductivity to salinity relationship than waters of lower salinity (K₂₅ < 1000 μS cm⁻¹), and (b) develop models to predict total cations and salinity from conductivity that can be used for Ethiopian waters and other African aquatic systems of similar chemical composition. We found no statistical difference in the bilogarithmic relationships (total cations vs. conductivity; salinity vs. conductivity) for waters of higher salinity (K₂₅ > 1000 μS cm⁻¹) and waters of lower salinity (K₂₅ < 1000 μS cm⁻¹). However, comparison among our models and models from the literature suggests that developing separate equations for low and high salinity water bodies has some merit. We believe that the equations developed in this study can be used for Ethiopian waters and other African waters within the range of conductivity in this study.     

中国的水库泥沙淤积问题

由于我国有许多河流是含沙最高、输沙量大的多泥沙河流,水库泥沙淤积问题异常严重．主要表现在：淤积数量大,淤积速率快．据统计,截止到1981年底全国水库总淤积量达115×10~8m~3．占统计水库总库容的14．2％．年平均库容损失率达2．3％,高于世界各国．水库的严重淤积,不仅影响水库兴利效益的发挥,严重威胁水库的使用寿命,而且还造成一系列在进行水库规划时未曾充分估计到的环境问题．本文重点从河流水文泥沙特性、我国水库淤积问题的严重性、水库淤积引起的问题及水库防淤减淤措施等4个方面作一较全面的分析和探讨．     

Tectonics and sedimentation around Kashinosaki Knoll: A subducting basement high in the eastern Nankai Trough

Abstract   When seamounts and other topographic highs on an oceanic plate are subducted, they cause significant deformation of the overriding plate and may act as asperities deeper in the seismogenic zone. Kashinosaki Knoll (KK) is an isolated basement high of volcanic origin on the subducting Philippine Sea Plate that will soon be subducted at the eastern Nankai Trough. Seismic reflection imaging reveals a thick accumulation of sediments (∼1200 m) over and around the knoll. The lower portion of the sedimentary section has a package of high-amplitude, continuous reflections, interpreted as turbidites, that lap onto steep basement slopes but are parallel to the gentler basement slopes. Total sediment thickness on the western and northern slopes is approximately 40–50% more than on the summit and southeastern slopes of KK. These characteristics imply that the basal sedimentary section northwest of KK was deposited by infrequent high-energy turbidity currents, whereas the area southeast of KK was dominated by hemipelagic sedimentation over asymmetric basement relief. From the sediment structure and magnetic anomalies, we estimate that the knoll likely formed near the spreading center of the Shikoku Basin in the early Miocene. Its origin differs from that of nearby Zenisu Ridge, which is a piece of the Shikoku Basin crust uplifted along a thrust fault related to the collision of the Izu–Bonin arc and Honshu. KK has been carried into the margin of the Nankai Trough, and its high topography is deflecting Quaternary trench turbidites to the south. When KK collides with the accretionary prism in about 1 My, the associated variations in sediment type and thickness around the knoll will likely result in complex local variations in prism deformation.     

Magnitude of Hurricane Ike storm surge sedimentation: implications for coastal marsh aggradation

There is a paucity of information on the regional distribution and magnitude of hurricane storm surge sedimentation. This study assesses the spatial extent and magnitude of Hurricane Ike's (2008) storm surge sedimentation and discusses implications for the role of hurricanes in marsh aggradation. The characteristics of the storm surge deposit, including thickness, inland penetration, volume and mass, were determined for 15 transects across marshes bordering the Gulf of Mexico in south‐eastern Texas and south‐western Louisiana. The deposit is up to 0·85 m thick, extends up to 3·6 km inland, and has an estimated volume of about 13·7 million m³ and an estimated mass of about 16·2 million metric tons. This level of sedimentation is one to two orders of magnitude larger than other potential sources of marsh sedimentation, including annual riverine inputs and inputs from alongshore sediment transport. The study findings add support to a growing body of evidence that hurricanes may be the predominant sediment source for long‐term aggradation of many coastal marshes bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.