Variation of fluxes of water vapor, sensible heat and carbon dioxide above winter wheat and maize canopies

Surface energy fluxes were measured using Bowen-Ratio Energy Balance technique (BREB) and eddy correlation system at Luancheng of Hebei Province, on the North China Plain from 1999 to 2001. Average diurnal variation of surface energy fluxes and CO₂ flux for maize showed the inverse “U” type. The average peak fluxes did not appear at noon, but after noon. The average peak CO₂ flux was about 1.65 mg m^-2 s^-1. Crop water use efficiency (WUE) increased quickly in the morning, stabilized after 10:00 and decreased quickly after 15:00 with no evident peak value. The ratio of latent heat flux (λE) to net solar radiation (R_n) was always higher than 70% during winter wheat and maize seasons. The seasonal average ratio of sensible heat flux (H) divided byR _n stayed at about 15% above the field surface; the seasonal average ratio of conductive heat flux (G) divided by R_n varied between 5% and 13%, and the averageG/R> _n from the wheat canopy was evidently higher than that from the maize canopy. The evaporative fraction (EF) is correlated to the Bowen ratio in a reverse function.EF for winter wheat increased quickly during that revival stage, after the stage, it gradually stabilized to 1.0, and fluctuated around 1.0. EF for maize also fluctuated around 1.0 before the later grain filling stage, and decreased after that stage.     

Exploring some relationships between biological soil crusts, soil aggregation and wind erosion

A portable wind tunnel was used to test the contribution of biological and physical elements to overall soil aggregation on a soil dominated by biological soil crusts in south-eastern Australia. After moderate disturbance and simulated wind erosion, 90% of surface aggregates on the loamy soil and 76% on the sandy soil were dominated by biological elements (cryptogams). Lower levels of biological bonding were observed on the severely disturbed treatment. Linear regression indicated a significant positive relationship (r²=0·72) between biological soil crust cover and dry aggregation levels greater than 0·85mm. To maintain sediment transport below an erosion control target of 5gm⁻¹s⁻¹ for a 65kmh⁻¹ wind at 10m height, a crust cover of approximately 20% is required. When a multiple regression model which sequentially fitted biological crust cover and dry aggregation greater than 0·85mm was applied to the data, dry aggregation accounted for more of the variation in sediment transport rate than biological crust cover. These data were used to develop a conceptual model which integrates crust cover and dry aggregation, and provides a useful framework within which to predict the likely impacts of changes in soil crust cover and aggregation.     

Grain size and transport characteristics of non-uniform sand in aeolian saltation

Size frequency distributions of sediment particles in a wind tunnel containing a bed of non-uniform sand are investigated by re-interpreting existing experimental data using particle-size analysis. Each particle sample is classified into one of eight groups according to its size grading. The analysis reveals that the modal shape of the particle-size frequency distributions of the saltating sand at different elevations or longitudinal distances is similar to that of the mixed sand in the bed once the boundary layer is fully developed. The standard deviation of the grain-size frequency distribution increases with increasing elevation above the bed then stays constant, whereas its skewness decreases. The mean grain size decays exponentially with elevation. The aeolian sand mass flux is determined for each size grading at different vertical and horizontal measurement locations. The vertical profile of aeolian horizontal mass flux depends on the size grading. The distribution of the sand transport rate according to the mean grain size in each grading fits the normal distribution. A parameter w_i is defined to reflect the likelihood of saltation for sand particles of the i-th size grading, and the mean sand size corresponding to the maximum value of w_i is found to be 0.2 mm. In addition, wind velocity strongly influences the magnitudes of the particle-size distribution and the sand mass flux distribution in both vertical and longitudinal directions.     

库布齐沙漠南缘抛物线形沙丘表面风沙流结构变异

对库布齐沙漠南缘抛物线形沙丘表面气流和输沙率的野外观测和分析结果表明,沙丘表面约90%的风沙输移集中在距沙面0.10 m高度范围内,输沙率随高度递减的形式在沙丘各部位因风速、下垫面状况和坡面形态不同而发生变异。沙丘迎风坡坡脚因出露坚硬、含砾石地表,颗粒跃移高度大,风沙流上层相对输沙率大;迎风坡沙粒沿坡向上运动,颗粒跃移高度减小,风沙流中近地表相对输沙率大;沙丘背风坡沙粒沿坡向下运动,加之来自丘顶变型跃移物质的影响,风沙流上层相对输沙率较大;脊线受迎风坡各个断面地形差异的影响,各观测点间风沙流结构差异显著。风沙流结构在迎风坡和丘顶均遵循指数递减规律(Q=aexp(-z/b)),其中,指数函数拟合中系数a与输沙率具有良好的幂函数关系,随风速增加而增加,但二者关系较弱;b与二者无相关性。背风坡风沙流结构具有明显的分段现象,以0.10 m高度为界,下层符合指数函数,上层符合幂函数。     

Experimental investigation of the concentration profile of a blowing sand cloud

Detailed wind tunnel tests were carried out to establish the mean downwind velocity and transport rate of different-sized loose dry sand at different free-stream wind velocities and heights, as well as to investigate the vertical variation in the concentration of blowing sand in a cloud. Particle dynamic analyzer (PDA) technology was used to measure the vertical variation in mean downwind velocity of a sand cloud in a wind tunnel. The results reveal that within the near-surface layer, the decay of blown sand flux with height can be expressed using an exponential function. In general, the mean downwind velocity increases with height and free-stream wind velocity, but decreases with grain size. The vertical variation in mean downwind velocity can be expressed by a power function. The concentration profile of sand within the saltation layer, calculated according to its flux profile and mean downwind profile, can be expressed using the exponential function: c_z=ae^−bz, where c_z is the blown sand concentration at height z, and a and bare parameters changing regularly with wind velocity and sand size. The concentration profiles are converted to rays of straight lines by plotting logarithmic concentration values against height. The slope of the straight lines, representing the relative decay rate of concentration with height, decreases with an increase in free-stream wind velocity and grain size, implying that more blown sand is transported to greater heights as grain size and wind speed increase.     

Influence of soil texture on the binding energies of fine mineral dust particles potentially released by wind erosion

Models of the two aeolian processes (saltation and sandblasting) that lead to emission of fine dust particles (PM20) by wind erosion in arid and semi-arid areas have been combined to form the so-called ‘Dust Production Model’ (DPM). In this model, the size dependent binding energies of PM20 embedded within the wind-erodible loose soil aggregates or in the soil surface itself are key input parameters. Indeed, their values condition at the same time the intensity of emissions and their initial size distribution. Previous comparisons of vertical mass fluxes measured on-field with the model predictions suggest that these energies might be relatively independent of soil texture and also probably composition. Because this would greatly facilitate application of the DPM at regional or global scale, the objective of this work is to check experimentally the veracity of this result. The strategy that has been designed for this has involved selecting four natural soil samples collected in various source areas of the world and covering a wide range of textures and compositions. Then, these soil samples have been used to perform carefully controlled wind erosion simulations in a wind tunnel. During the experiments, which were carried out at different wind speeds with each soil, the horizontal flux (F_h) of saltating soil aggregates has been monitored. At the same time, number concentrations (C_i) of PM20 released by the sandblasting process were recorded in the 6 size classes of an optical size analyzer. Thus, the efficiency of the sandblasting process (defined as the ratio of C_i to F_h) could be determined for each of these size classes. Analysis of the results obtained in similar saltation conditions shows that for the four tested soils, and within the range of contents in clay and other components favoring aggregation (mostly organic matter and carbonates), the influence of soil composition and texture on binding energies of the PM20 particles within soil aggregates is at best a second order effect that can be neglected in large scale modeling of wind erosion by the DPM.     

VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF WIND-BLOWN SAND FLUX IN THE SURFACE LAYER,TAKLAMAKAN DESERT,CENTRAL ASIA

The vertical distribution of the wind-blown sand flux in a 40-cm flow layer above the ground surface was investigated through laboratory wind-tunnel tests and field measurements on the mobile dune surface during sand storms in the Taklamakan Desert of China. Results show that vertical distribution of the horizontal mass flux of drifting sand is a discontinuous function of height. More than 90% of the total material is transported in the flow layer from the surface to 14 cm. From 2 to 4 cm above the surface, a distinct transition zone occurs wherein mixed transport by creep, saltation, and suspension becomes saltation and suspension. The flow layer from 14 to 15 cm represents a further transition from saltation to suspension, where the distribution curves of the transport rate against height converge. The basic natural exponential function cannot describe well the vertical distribution of the saltation mass flux in the Taklamakan Desert. As a function of height, saltation mass flux follows a function q_salt = a'Z^-bZ, and the distribution of suspension mass flux fits the power function very well. A total transport rate from surface creep to saltation and suspension in the measured flow layer, which is directly proportional to the effective wind speed squared (V - V_t)², can be predicted by integrating Q = a'Z^-bZ + cZ^-d. The height distribution of the average quantities of transported materials varies as an exponential function of wind speed, and deceases with the increase in total transport quantity. Higher wind speed results in a higher transport rate and a higher vertical gradient for the particle concentration. The increment of relative transport quantity in the higher flux layer increases as wind speed increases, which generates a higher concentration of drifting particles in the upper flow layer. [Key words: aeolian geomorphology, aeolian transport, horizontal sand flux, sand dune, vertical sediment distribution, Taklamakan Desert.]     

Human impact on land–ocean sediment transfer by the world's rivers

Land–ocean transfer of sediment by rivers is a key pathway for material transfer on Earth. Contemporary data on the sediment loads of rivers provide clear evidence of significant recent changes in the sediment fluxes of several rivers in response to human impact. The key drivers of increased sediment loads include land clearance for agriculture and other facets of land surface disturbance, including logging activity and mining. Although, programmes for soil conservation and sediment control can result in reduced sediment loads, the trapping of sediment by dams represents the dominant cause of reduced loads. This influence is currently assuming increasing importance at the global scale. Any attempt to link these drivers to changes in the global land–ocean sediment flux must take account of the aggregation and buffering effects that operate in larger basins, which can cause damping and even removal of signals of increasing flux within the upstream basin, and complicate the link between upstream and downstream response to human impact. Further work is required to provide a precise quantitative assessment of the human impact on global land–ocean sediment fluxes and the net effect of increasing and decreasing fluxes. Particular attention must be paid to the temporal perspective and the variation of impact trajectories in different areas of the globe and for river basins of different sizes.     

Estimation of ground heat flux and its impact on the surface energy budget for a semi-arid grassland

Three approaches, i.e., the harmonic analysis (HA) technique, the thermal diffusion equation and correction (TDEC) method, and the calorimetric method used to estimate ground heat flux, are evaluated by using observations from the Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University (SACOL) in July, 2008. The calorimetric method, which involves soil heat flux measurement with an HFP01SC self-calibrating heat flux plate buried at a depth of 5 cm and heat storage in the soil between the plate and the surface, is here called the ITHP approach. The results show good linear relationships between the soil heat fluxes measured with the HFP01SC heat flux plate and those calculated with the HA technique and the TDEC method, respectively, at a depth of 5 cm. The soil heat fluxes calculated with the latter two methods well follow the phase measured with the HFP01SC heat flux plate. The magnitudes of the soil heat flux calculated with the HA technique and the TDEC method are close to each other, and they are about 2 percent and 6 percent larger than the measured soil heat flux, respectively, which mainly occur during the nighttime. Moreover, the ground heat fluxes calculated with the TDEC method and the HA technique are highly correlated with each other (R² = 0.97), and their difference is only about 1 percent. The TDEC-calculated ground heat flux also has a good linear relationship with the ITHP-calculated ground heat flux (R² = 0.99), but their difference is larger (about 9 percent). Furthermore, compared to the HFP01SC direct measurements at a depth of 5 cm, the ground heat flux calculated with the HA technique, the TDEC method, and the ITHP approach can improve the surface energy budget closure by about 6 percent, 7 percent, and 6 percent at SACOL site, respectively. Therefore, the contribution of ground heat flux to the surface energy budget is very important for the semi-arid grassland over the Loess Plateau in China. Using turbulent heat fluxes with common corrections, soil heat storage between the surface and the heat flux plate can improve the surface energy budget closure by about 6 to 7 percent, resulting in a closure of 82 to 83 percent at the SACOL site.     

Splash-saltation trajectories of soil particles under wind-driven rain

It is usually recognized that relatively large amounts of soil particles cannot be transported by raindrop splashes under windless rain. However, the splash-saltation process can cause net transportation in the prevailing wind direction since variations in splash-saltation trajectory due to the wind are expected in wind-driven rain. Therefore, determining the combined effect of rain and wind on the process should enable improvement of the estimation of erosion for any given prediction technique. This paper presents experimental data on the effects of slope aspect, slope gradient, and horizontal wind velocity on the splash-saltation trajectories of soil particles under wind-driven rain. In a wind tunnel facility equipped with a rainfall simulator, the rains driven by horizontal wind velocities of 6, 10, and 14 m s⁻¹ were allowed to impact three agricultural soils packed into 20×55 cm soil pans placed at both windward and leeward slopes of 7%, 15%, and 20%. Splash-saltation trajectories were measured by trapping the splashed particles at distances downwind on a 7-m uniform slope segment in the upslope and downslope directions, respectively, for windward and leeward slopes. Exponential decay curves were fitted for the mass distribution of splash-saltation sediment as a function of travel distance, and the average splash-saltation trajectory was derived from the average value of the fitted functions. The results demonstrated that the average trajectory of a raindrop-induced and wind-driven soil particle was substantially affected by the wind shear velocity, and it had the greatest correlation (r=0.96 for all data) with the shear velocity; however, neither slope aspect nor slope gradient significantly predicted the splash-saltation trajectory. More significantly, a statistical analysis conducted with nonlinear regression model of C₁(u_*²/g) showed that average trajectory of splash saltation was approximately three times greater than that of typical saltating sand grain.     

Evolution of the trophic state of Lake Annecy (eastern France) since the last glaciation as indicated by iron, manganese and phosphorus speciation

Lake Annecy sediments have been studied to provide an insight into the evolution of the lake trophic state in response to climate changes during the Holocene. Determination of the concentration of carbonate, Fe, Mn, and different forms of P in conjunction with total sediment fluxes derived from ¹⁴C ages allows an estimation of yearly fluxes of these sediment components. High fluxes of endogenic carbonate occur during the early to middle Holocene. Non apatitic inorganic phosphorus flux is variable but shows some higher-than-present values during this period. These observations are interpreted as being a result of enhanced productivity by favourable conditions for phytoplankton development. In addition, the low Mn/Fe ratio of the redox-sensitive forms of these elements recorded during this period suggests low oxygen concentrations in the bottom waters. Therefore it appears that the lake may have undergone oxygen depletion in the bottom water during the warmer-than-present periods, due to increased productivity and subsequent oxygen consumption from the decay of organic matter. With future climate changes, this suggests that lake water quality may likely degrade under global warming.     

The blown sand flux over a sandy surface: a wind tunnel investigation on the fetch effect

Detailed wind tunnel tests were conducted to examine the fetch effect of a sandy surface on a sand cloud blowing over it. The results suggest that the fetch length of a sandy surface has a significant effect on both the vertical flux profile and total horizontal flux. The sand flux over a sandy surface increases with height in the very near surface layer, but then decays exponentially. In agreement with the widely accepted conclusion, the decay function can be expressed by q=aexp(−h/b), where q is the sand flux at height h. Coefficient a that tends to increase with wind speed implies the influence of wind, while coefficient b that defines the relative decay rate shows the influence of both the fetch and wind. The relative decay rate increases with fetch when the fetch length is short, then becomes constant when the fetch reaches a certain length. The threshold fetch length over which the relative decay rate keeps constant increases with wind speed. The average saltation height generally increases with fetch. Both the relative decay rate and average saltation height show that the fetch effect on the flux profile becomes more significant when the wind speed increases. The total sand transport equation for the total fetch can be expressed by Q=C(1−U_t/U)²U³(ρ/g), where Q is the total sand transport rate, U and U_t are the wind velocity and threshold wind velocity at the centerline height of the wind tunnel, respectively, g is gravitational acceleration, ρ is the density of air, and C is a proportionality coefficient that increases with the fetch length, implying that the total sand flux increases with the fetch length.     

干旱沙区生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤CO2通量对脉冲式降雨的响应

水分是干旱区生态过程中主要限制因子,降水可通过改变土壤的干湿状况直接影响土壤的生态过程,继而引起土壤碳库的变化。生物土壤结皮作为干旱区主要的地表覆盖物,其自身不但可以进行呼吸作用,还能充分利用有限的水分通过光合作用固碳,改变土壤圈与大气圈之间的碳交换通量。通过模拟0、2、5、8、15 mm降雨,利用红外气体分析仪,对腾格里沙漠东南缘人工固沙植被区主要的生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤净CO₂通量进行了原位测定,探讨生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤CO₂释放和光合固定CO₂(吸收)共同作用下的土壤净CO₂通量对模降雨的响应特征。结果表明:(1)降雨会迅速激发生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤CO₂释放,降雨激发CO₂释放速率和有效时间取决于降雨量,降雨量越高,激发程度越低,激增的生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤CO₂释放(源)效应有效时间随降雨量的增加而延长;降雨激发的土壤碳释放总量随着降雨量的增加显著增加,且藓类结皮覆盖土壤碳释放总量显著高于藻类结皮(P<0.05)。(2)降雨引起生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤CO₂吸收速率在初期呈单峰变化,后逐渐回归到降雨前的水平,随降雨量的增加,CO₂吸收的效应的时间越长,峰值越高;降雨量越高,生物土壤结皮光合碳固定量越多,当降雨量增加到15 mm时,藻类结皮光合碳固定量显著低于8 mm时的碳固定量;降雨量<5 mm时,藓类结皮光合碳固定量显著低于藻类结皮(P<0.05),≥5 mm时,藓类结皮光合碳固定量显著高于藻类结皮(P<0.05)。(3)干旱荒漠地区生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤,在无降雨的干旱期表现为较低水平的净碳排放效应,不同程度降雨的初期阶段都有短暂的增加土壤碳的汇效应,且碳汇效应的时间随降雨量的增加而延长;适度的降雨会降低长期干旱藻类结皮覆盖土壤向大气的碳排放量,而过高或过低的降雨都会不同程度地增加藻类结皮覆盖土壤向大气的碳排放,降低土壤碳的储量。不论降雨量大小,降雨都会增加藓类结皮覆盖土壤更多碳向大气排放,但随着降雨量的增加,源效应逐渐减弱。降雨量≤8 mm时,藓类结皮覆盖土壤净碳排放总量显著高于藻类结皮(P<0.05),当降雨量>8 mm时,藓类结皮覆盖土壤净碳排放量显著低于藻类结皮覆盖土壤(P<0.05)。因此,干旱区在估算生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤与大气碳交换对降雨的响应规律时,应该充分考虑降雨量大小对生物土壤结皮碳固定量和土壤碳释放组分的效应,明确降雨事件大小对不同类型生物土壤结皮覆盖土壤与大气之间碳交换的作用。     

Vertical profiles of aeolian sand mass flux

Vertical profiles of the horizontal mass flux of blown sand are investigated experimentally using a passive vertical array in a wind tunnel. Considering lower sampling efficiency of the sand trap in the near-bed region, this investigation is complemented by the measurements of the longitudinal profiles of mass flux made using a horizontal sand trap. The experiments were conducted with two test sands and five different stream velocities.In the upper part of the vertical profile, the measured data exhibit an exponential decay distribution with a positive deviation occurring in the near-bed region. The measured longitudinal profiles are similar to the measured vertical profiles. Linking both profiles and the modes of sand transport, it is possible that saltating sand grains give rise to the well-known exponential decay distribution of mass flux, and that creeping and reptating grains force a deviation from it. A simple equation applicable for both the vertical and the longitudinal sand mass flux variations is introduced and the parameters are estimated from experimental data.     

Sediment Fluxes and Varve Formation in Sihailongwan,a Maar Lake from Northeastern China

Data derived from monthly sediment traps in Sihailongwan, a maar lake in northeastern China, yielded a detailed record of seasonal sediment fluxes. Sediment fluxes correspond to seasonal climatic variations. The diatom flux shows two distinct peaks in September and November, whereas the flux of chrysophyte stomatocysts shows a maximum in May. The blooms of diatoms may be related to the subsequent deepening of the thermocline in September and lake overturn in spring and November, and influx of nutrient-rich groundwater sometime after the onset of the summer monsoon. The fluxes of organic matter and siliciclastics show a distinct seasonal pattern. They are varying between 0.03 and 0.56 g m⁻² d⁻¹ and reach a maximum in May. Quartz in the trap samples indicates that the siliciclastic matter may originate from distant aeolian sources. Sediment trap data and thin section investigations confirm the seasonality of Lake Sihailongwan sediments. Dark-colored layer, which mainly consists of valves of Cyclotella comta, might be deposited during autumn, and then is followed by a light-colored mixed layer starting with siliciclastics deposited after ice-out. The varved sediments in the U-shaped Lake Sihailongwan represent a sensitive siliciclastic and geochemical archive of paleoenvironmental variability in this data-sparse area. Detailed investigations of varved sediments should provide decadal to annual records of seasonal sediment flux and its relation to climatic parameters. Especially the diatomaceous layer is regarded to indicate summer climatic fluctuations, while the thick siliciclastic layer could be an indictor of dust events.     

上海滨岸潮滩水沉积物中无机氮的季节性变化

对长江口南翼上海滨岸带3个站点潮滩上覆水，沉积物和间隙水中的3态无机氮的含量分布的年度季节性监测研究表明：潮滩上覆水中溶解无机氮以NO3－N为主：表层沉积物中可交换态无机氮以NH4－N为主，约占70％－85％，沉积物间隙水中主要无机氮为NH4－N和NO3－N。潮滩水体中NH4－N的季节性变化幅度不大，而NO3－N和NO2－N的季节性变化明显，在冬季含量明显降低；但沉积物和间隙水中氮氨和硝态氮的浓度在冬季则有较大增加。初步探讨了潮滩水和沉积物中无机氮分布季节性变化的主要影响因素，估算了潮滩表层沉积物－水界面无机氮的扩散通量，指出NH4－N的扩散释放对滨岸水环境质量影响较大。     

The flux profile of a blowing sand cloud: a wind tunnel investigation

The flux profile of a blowing sand cloud, or the variation of blown sand flux with height, is the reflection of blown sand particles that move in different trajectories, and also the basis for checking drifting sand. Here we report the wind tunnel results of systematic tests of the flux profiles of different sized sands at different free-stream wind velocities. The results reveal that within the 60-cm near-surface layer, the decay of blown sand flux with height can be expressed by an exponential function: q_h=aexp(−h/b), where, q_h is the blown sand transport rate at height h, a and b are parameters that vary with wind velocity and sand size. The significance of coefficient a and b in the function is defined: a represents the transport rate in true creep and b implies the relative decay rate with height of the blown sand transport rate. The true creep fraction, the ratio of the sand transported on the surface (h=0) to the total transport varies widely, decreasing with both sand size and wind speed. The flux profiles are converted to straight lines by plotting sand transport rate, q_h, on a log-scale. The slope of the straight lines that represents the relative decay rate with height of sand transport rate decreases with an increase in free-stream wind velocity and sand grain size, implying that relatively more of the blown sand is transported to greater heights as grain size and wind speed increase. The average saltating height represented by the height where 50% of the cumulative flux percentage occurs increases with both wind speed and grain size, implying that saltation becomes more intense as grain size and/or wind velocity increase.     

Characteristics of freshly deposited sand and finer sediments along an island-braided, gravel-bed river: The roles of water, wind and trees

Over the past two decades there has been a growing interest in the geomorphological mosaic along large floodplain rivers where channel dynamics are seen to drive habitat-patch creation and turnover and to contribute to high biological diversity. This has required a new perspective on fluvial geomorphology that focuses on biological scales of space and time. This study examines the spatial pattern of surface fine sediment accumulations along a reach of a large gravel-bed river, the Tagliamento River in NE Italy; an area with a moist Mediterranean climate and seasonal flow regime. The study investigates changes in sediment characteristics during the summer low-flow period between April and September. Focussing on five areas representing a gradient from open, bar-braided to wooded island-braided morphologies, the paper demonstrates the importance of riparian vegetation and aeolian–fluvial interactions.Significant contrasts in particle size distributions and organic content of freshly deposited sand and finer sediments were found between sampling areas, geomorphological settings, and sampling dates. In particular, wooded floodplain and established islands supported consistently finer sediment deposits than both open bar surfaces and the lee of pioneer islands, and in September significantly finer sediments were also found in deposits located in the lee of pioneer islands than on open bar surfaces. Overall, the September samples had a greater variability in particle size characteristics than those obtained from the same sites in April, with a general coarsening of the D₅ (φ) (i.e., the coarse tail of the particle size distribution). Also in September, crusts of fine sediment (30 μm < D₅₀ < 64 μm) had formed on the surface of some of the open bar and pioneer island deposits within the more open sampling areas along the study reach. These crusts possessed similar particle size characteristics to aeolian crusts found in more arid environments. They were significantly finer than April samples and September subcrust samples obtained from the same sites and had similar particle size characteristics to some samples taken from wooded floodplain, established island surfaces and the lee of pioneer islands that were not crusted.Local climatological and river level data confirm significant wind and rainfall events during a period of consistently low river levels between the April and September sampling periods. These support deflation, deposition and rain wash of finer sediment during the summer, with windblown sediments being deposited on bar surfaces and in the lee of pioneer islands where wood and young trees provide foci for accelerated sedimentation and island growth as well as on marginal floodplains and established islands. We conclude that along braided rivers in moist settings but with a distinct dry season, aeolian reworking of sediment deposits may have a more important role in driving habitat dynamics than previously considered.     

Reconstruction of a climate record for the past 140 kyr based on diatom valve flux data from Lake Biwa, Japan

To reconstruct the pattern of past climate change in central Japan during the last 140 kyr, total planktonic diatom valve concentrations (valves g^–1) and fluxes (valves cm^–2 year^–1) of total planktonic diatoms flux (PVF) and individual species were examined using a 140-m core taken from Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture. Most records had a sample resolution between approximately 150 and 300 yr. Based on characteristics of past and modern diatom responses to possible climate variables, we interpreted changes in Stephanodiscus suzukii flux (SVF) to reflect changes in phosphorus levels, which reflect, in turn, summer precipitation levels; changes in Aulacoseiva nipponica flux (AVF) reflect winter vertical lake-water mixing induced by winter temperatures and snowfall levels. Thus, changes in total planktonic diatom flux reflect a combination of summer precipitation, winter temperature, and snowfall values. During the 140–101 ka interval, changes in S. suzukii productivity at a millennial timescale may correspond to changes in summer rainfall in central Japan. The disappearance of A. nipponica during the same period could indicate weaker vertical mixing, possibly caused by increased temperatures and decreased snowfall levels in winter. During the 101–70 ka interval, the AVF record shows levels near or above those observed in present times, indicating that winter water temperatures fell within the optimal range for A. nipponica to prosper. Generally low AVF values during the 70–7 ka interval indicate weak winter vertical mixing and cold winters. The many intervals with low PVF values during the same period suggest decreased summer precipitation levels. Between 7 and 0 ka, PVF, SVF, and AVF records show levels near or above those of the present, suggesting winter temperatures favorable for A. nipponica growth, and snowfall and summer precipitation levels probably similar to or above those currently recorded.     

The recent history of erosion and sedimentation on the Southern Tablelands of southeastern Australia: sediment flux dominated by channel incision

As in other regions colonised from Europe within the last few centuries, Australia's vegetation and soils have been dramatically changed by clearing, cropping and grazing. In southeastern Australia, particularly on the Southern Tablelands, the impacts of European settlement are clearly manifested by channel incision. By using stratigraphic and documentary evidence, in conjunction with aerial photographs, sediment budgets for the post-settlement period have been constructed to define the fluxes and stores of sediment for each of the major geomorphic components of the 136 km² catchment of Jerrabomberra Creek near Canberra. Using these budgets, and some plausible assumptions, it has been possible to approximate the history of both the sediment delivery ratio and sediment yield for this catchment. While the quantities estimated in this analysis are approximations, the trends through time are credible. Sediment yield increased rapidly to a peak after European settlement, and has returned to a level between the peak and the pre-European value. The delivery ratio has followed a similar trend. The most general conclusion to emerge is that in this landscape both the total sediment flux and the sediment yield of the catchment have been dominated by channel erosion. This result is contrary to the findings in many parts of the world where sheet and rill erosion dominates the fluxes. The soil conservation implication of these results is clear: to control off-site effects of erosion, the focus must be on the channels.