A field,laboratory, and literature review evaluation of the water retention curve of volcanic ash soils: How well do standard laboratory methods reflect field conditions?

Accurate determination of the water retention curve (WRC) of a soil is essential for the understanding and modelling of the subsurface hydrological, ecological, and biogeochemical processes. Volcanic ash soils with andic properties (Andosols) are recognized as important providers of ecological and hydrological services in mountainous regions worldwide due to their large fraction of small size particles (clay, silt, and organic matter) that gives them an outstanding water holding capacity. Previous comparative analyses of in situ (field) and standard laboratory methods for the determination of the WRC of Andosols showed contrasting results. Based on an extensive analysis of laboratory, experimental, and field measured WRCs of Andosols in combination with data extracted from the published literature we show that standard laboratory methods using small soil sample volumes (≤300 cm³) mimic the WRC of these soils only partially. The results obtained by the latter resemble only a small portion of the wet range of the Andosols' WRC (from saturation up to −5 kPa, or pF 1.7), but overestimate substantially their water content for higher matric potentials. This discrepancy occurs irrespective of site-specific land use and cover, soil properties, and applied method. The disagreement limits our capacity to infer correctly subsurface hydrological behaviour, as illustrated through the analysis of long-term soil moisture and matric potential data from an experimental site in the tropical Andes. These findings imply that results reported in past research should be used with caution and that future research should focus on determining laboratory methods that allow obtaining a correct characterization of the WRC of Andosols. For the latter, a set of recommendations and future directions to solve the identified methodological issues is proposed.     

The wave climate of Liverpool Bay—observations and modelling

Directional wave measurements have been made in Liverpool Bay by means of wave buoys and acoustic instruments within the footprint of a phased-array high frequency (HF) radar system, which measures currents and waves. Several years of data have now been collected and are supplemented by an 11-year wave model hindcast. Wave parameters have been derived from the various instruments and compared: the directional waverider buoy is taken to provide the ground truth, confirming the good observations obtained from the ADCP; the HF radar wave data have a positive bias, while the model data have a negative bias. The variation of wave climate over various time-scales from seasonal and inter-annual to inter-decadal is examined. Significant wave–current interactions may occur in this area of shallow water and high tidal range and the measurements provide a good test of coupled hydrodynamic-wave models. The waves are mainly fetch-limited: largest events are due to depressions, which track across the UK from SW, generating westerly and WNW winds in the right rear quadrant. Hence, the future extreme wave events will be closely related to future North Atlantic storm tracks. Projections of 50-year return period wave heights differ between different instruments and model datasets. The future wave climate of Liverpool Bay is not expected to change much from the present day; although a slight increase in the severity of the most extreme events is projected, the frequency of extreme wind and wave events in general is slightly reduced. There is evidence for variability on decadal time-scales, with some correlation with the North Atlantic oscillation.     

GOES satellite and field observations of the 1998 eruption of Volcan Cerro Azul, Galápagos Islands

 The 1998 eruption of Volcan Cerro Azul, Isla Isabela, Galápagos Islands, was observed in near real-time by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-8 (GOES-8) weather satellite. Due to the remote location of the eruption site, 3.9-μm radiance values derived from GOES band 2 provide the best timing of the start and termination of the eruption, which occurred on 15 Sept. and 21 Oct., respectively. Throughout the 36-day long eruption, a total of 1335 thermal infrared images were collected, of which 851 were cloud-free and permitted the thermal anomaly to be detected. A detailed chronology including 77 separate events was assembled from the GOES data and field observations. Numerous attributes of the eruption were observed from the GOES data, including the sizes and dispersal of seven eruption plumes and the occurrence and timing of intra-caldera effusive activity. The growth of a lava flow on the SE flank, the formation of smoke and volcanic haze from the flank vent, and burning of vegetation caused by lava flows entering vegetated areas were monitored both on the ground and with the satellite data. In most cases GOES images were processed as they were received every 30 min and were then distributed over the Internet within minutes of reception. These data provided timely high-temporal information to field parties as well as enabled the documentation of the eruption. The GOES observations of Cerro Azul serve as a further example of the way in which the remote sensing community and field volcanologists can collaborate during future eruptions, and permit the temporal and spatial resolution requirements for future satellites systems to be better defined. Received: 27 April 1999 / Accepted: 21 February 2000     

Fault-block structure and the stress state of the upper crust of lake Baikal’s eastern coast (field observations and modeling)

The fault-block structure and stress state of the upper crust at one of the sites of the Baikal rift (Ust-Barguzin fault node) is studied on the basis of a complex of geomorphological, geological-structural, and tectonophysical methods. A map reflecting specific features of the fault-block structure of the upper crust in the region under investigation is compiled. In situ data are collected, and the stress state is reconstructed from residual deformations in local rock volumes. Systematization of the reconstructed stress fields with respect to ruptures of various ranks made it possible to reveal specific features of the stress state of the upper crust of the region associated with its fault-block structure. Optical modeling of the stress state was performed both for the area of the Ust-Barguzin fault node as a whole (regional structure) and for the vicinity of conjugation zones of lower-rank ruptures (local structures) composing zones of regional faults. It is shown that stress changes in the areas of fault conjugation nodes, both in value and in the strike of the principal axes, can be caused by the cooperative behavior of ruptures during the activation in the zone of influence of a larger fault or a fault node.     

Geometry of the Nojima Fault at Nojima-Hirabayashi, Japan – II. Microstructures and their Implications for Permeability and Strength

Samples of damage-zone granodiorite and fault core from two drillholes into the active, strike-slip Nojima fault zone display microstructures and alteration features that explain their measured present-day strengths and permeabilities and provide insight on the evolution of these properties in the fault zone. The least deformed damage-zone rocks contain two sets of nearly perpendicular (60–90° angles), roughly vertical fractures that are concentrated in quartz-rich areas, with one set typically dominating over the other. With increasing intensity of deformation, which corresponds generally to increasing proximity to the core, zones of heavily fragmented rock, termed microbreccia zones, develop between prominent fractures of both sets. Granodiorite adjoining intersecting microbreccia zones in the active fault strands has been repeatedly fractured and locally brecciated, accompanied by the generation of millimeter-scale voids that are partly filled with secondary minerals. Minor shear bands overprint some of the heavily deformed areas, and small-scale shear zones form from the pairing of closely spaced shear bands. Strength and permeability measurements were made on core collected from the fault within a year after a major (Kobe) earthquake. Measured strengths of the samples decrease regularly with increasing fracturing and fragmentation, such that the gouge of the fault core and completely brecciated samples from the damage zone are the weakest. Permeability increases with increasing disruption, generally reaching a peak in heavily fractured but still more or less cohesive rock at the scale of the laboratory samples. Complete loss of cohesion, as in the gouge or the interiors of large microbreccia zones, is accompanied by a reduction of permeability by 1-2 orders of magnitude below the peak values. The core samples show abundant evidence of hydrothermal alteration and mineral precipitation. Permeability is thus expected to decrease and strength to increase somewhat in active fault strands between earthquakes, as mineral deposits progressively seal fractures and fill pore spaces.     

Analyzing observations of multiple small center of solar flares at a wavelength of 195 Å

The duration of elementary eruption process and intervals between them for flares of different importance have been determined based on the photometric data for flares, observed by a TRACE spacecraft at a wavelength of 195 Å. It has been revealed that the values of these parameters increase with increasing flare importance. It is assumed that the appearance of elementary nonstationary flare centers correlates with the origination of solitons at self-organized criticality.     

Geometry and dynamics of the freshwater—seawater interface in a coastal aquifer in southeastern Spain

Abstract

The contact between freshwater and seawater in coastal aquifers is studied using a relatively simple model for homogeneous aquifers. However, for real aquifers it is not so simple. The desalination plant built to supply water to the city of Almería is situated over the aquifer in the southern part of the River Andarax Delta. Its design capacity is 1100 L s^?1, and it is supplied from boreholes pumping water from beneath the freshwater—seawater contact in this aquifer. Well logs kept over a period of two years have allowed us to accurately define the interface geometry of the freshwater—seawater contact. Lithological data collected from 31 boreholes have also indicated the existence of strata with low hydraulic conductivity, within others of high conductivity. During a simultaneous pumping test of six wells with 690 L s^?1 total discharge, electrical conductivity measurements showed the influx of seawater 6–10 m below sea level and a drawdown of the interface in the piezometers closest to the pumping wells.     

Magnetic signature of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and sediments at the former oil field H?nigsen, Germany

Magnetic properties of hydrocarbon (HC) containing soils and sediments from two sites (Site A and B) of the former oil-field H?nigsen were analyzed in order to determine whether magnetic methods can be employed to delineate HC contamination of soils and sediments. Magnetic parameters such as magnetic susceptibility and induced isothermal remanent magnetizations, as well as soil and sediment properties such as pH, iron content and water content, HC content and most probable number counts of iron-metabolizing microorganisms were determined. The magnetic concentration-dependent parameters for HC contaminated samples were 25 times higher in soils from Site A than in sediment samples from Site B. However, at Site B the magnetic susceptibility was still four times higher in comparison to lithologically similar non-contaminated sediment samples from a third Site C. Newly formed magnetite containing mainly single domain particles was responsible for the magnetic enhancement, whereas superparamagnetic grains represented only a minor component. Site A had an acidic pH compared to neutral pH at Site B, and a higher crystalline and bioavailable total iron content. Nevertheless, Site B samples contained significant numbers of both iron(II)-oxidizing and iron(III)-reducing microorganisms indicating that microbial iron cycling might have taken place at this site and potentially played a role for iron mineral transformation, including magnetite (trans)formation. The content of total non-polar hydrocarbons (TNPH) at Site A was one order of magnitude higher than at Site B. Only at Site A magnetic susceptibility correlated well with TNPH. Our results demonstrate that HC contaminated samples had an enhanced magnetite content compared to non-contaminated soils and sediments. Therefore, magnetic methods may provide a quick and cost-effective way to assess HC contamination in soils and sediments. However, more field sites and laboratory investigations are needed to reveal the complex nature of the processes involved.     

Anomalous directions and paleointensity of the geomagnetic field based on paleomagnetic investigations of rocks from the Karadzha Range (Azerbaijan) of the age 45–20 ka

Paleomagnetic investigations of marine and subaqueous deposits in the 12-meter marine terrace of a section of the Karadzha Range (Azerbaijan) are performed. These deposits correspond to OI stage 3 and encompass the time interval ～45–20 ka. Four anomalous deviations of the magnetization from the dipole field at the sampling site are recorded in the upper and lower transgressive members of deposits. Investigations of the influence of the anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility (AMS) on directions of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) showed that only three of the four identified intervals can actually reflect geomagnetic field changes. The fourth interval of the anomalous NRM behavior is recorded in samples demonstrating the presence of the identified AMS direction pointing to a possible deformation of layers, which could turn the NRM vector toward the direction of the acting factor. Based on the age of the terrace under investigation, three other anomalous horizons could correspond to heavily reduced records of the Mono and Lashamp excursions of the geomagnetic field.     

Lidar observations of volcanic dust over Polish Polar Station at Hornsund after eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull and Grímsvötn

Two significant volcanic eruptions, i.e., Eyjafjallajökull (April–May 2010) and Grímsvötn (May 2011) took place recently in Iceland. Within a few days after eruptions, layers of high aerosol concentration have been observed by multiwavelength lidar of the Polish Polar Station at Hornsund, Svalbard. Measurements of the aerosol’s optical properties indicated a possible presence of volcanic ash transported over the Station. The latter presumption was confirmed by the computed backward trajectories of air masses, showing their paths passing over the location of volcanoes.     

Geometrical textures of faults，evolution of physical field and instability characteristics

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Thermospheric wind field over Mawson and Davis,Antarctica; simultaneous observations by two Fabry–Perot spectrometers of λ630 nm emission

The thermopheric oxygen λ630 nm emission has been observed using high-resolution Fabry–Perot spectrometers at Mawson (67.6°S, 62.9°E) and Davis (68.6°S, 78.0°E), Antarctica. A new technique, combining the results from the two instruments, is used to derive vector wind fields. The technique is described and applied to five nights of simultaneous cardinal point data obtained in 1997. Solar flux was low during this interval, typically F_10.7=75. Of the five nights two were magnetically disturbed and three were quiet. The observations for the disturbed nights were compared to a TIEGCM model run and reasonable agreement was found in the first half of the night. On one of the disturbed nights a closed evening circulation cell and cross-polar jet could be identified in our data. On none of the nights was a morning circulation cell evident. Auroral imager data were used to locate the auroral oval. For several hours around magnetic midnight the auroral oval produces doldrums in the thermospheric winds that are not described by the model. Auroral doldrums are also seen on the quiet nights which otherwise maintain a flow approximately consistent with a pressure-gradient driver.     

Interaction among fractures and stress field computation of fracture systems

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Solar control of the ionosphere at heights between 100 and 200 km—A comparison of theory and experimental data

Theoretical results on the vertical distribution of ionospheric plasma in the E and F1 layers are reviewed, and compared with experimental data. Treated generally are ion production and recombination, particularly the role of vibrationally excited nitric oxide ions. Emphasis is placed on the conditions responsible for the valley between the E and F1 regions.Finally, certain invariants, that is functional relationships between particular parameters of the distribution of ionospheric plasma, are created and their uses evaluated.     

Interannual variability of tropospheric NO2 column over central Europe — observations from SCIAMACHY and GEM-AQ model simulations

Spatial and temporal variability of NO₂ tropospheric column over Europe was analyzed for a 3 year period (2008–2010) based on monthly average observations from SCIAMACHY and the GEM-AQ model results. The GEM-AQ model was run in a global variable configuration with a resolution of ～15 km over Central Europe. Spatial averaged time series were calculated for two selected regions in Western and Central Europe in order to assess the seasonal and interannual variability of the tropospheric NO₂. The spatial pattern is similar near large emission sources for consecutive years. However, in remote regions there are differences due to interannual variability of meteorological conditions. Highest tropospheric NO₂ column values (over 150 × 10¹⁵ molecules/cm²) were persistent over the Benelux and over most of the European agglomerations. The general agreement between modelled and observed NO₂ column is good. In the remote areas, the modelled NO₂ column shows weaker gradients than the observed field.     

The Earth’s passage of the April 11, 1997 coronal ejecta: geomagnetic field fluctuations at high and low latitude during northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions

An analysis of the low frequency geomagnetic field fluctuations at an Antarctic (Terra Nova Bay) and a low latitude (L’Aquila, Italy) station during the Earth’s passage of a coronal ejecta on April 11, 1997 shows that major solar wind pressure variations were followed at both stations by a high fluctuation level. During northward interplanetary magnetic field conditions and when Terra Nova Bay is close to the local geomagnetic noon, coherent fluctuations, at the same frequency (3.6 mHz) and with polarization characteristics indicating an antisunward propagation, were observed simultaneously at the two stations. An analysis of simultaneous measurements from geosynchronous satellites shows evidence for pulsations at approximately the same frequencies also in the magnetospheric field. The observed waves might then be interpreted as oscillation modes, triggered by an external stimulation, extending to a major portion of the Earth’s magnetosphere.     

High altitude observations of electron temperature and a possible north–south asymmetry

Measurements of electron temperature made by the thermal electron energy distribution (TED) instrument on board the EXOS-D (Akebono) satellite have been analysed. From the data taken between 1989 and 1995, averaged daytime and nighttime temperature profiles for different geophysical conditions have been produced. These profiles represent the averaged thermal electron temperature between 1000 and 8000 km altitude for conditions of high (F10.7>150) and low (F10.7<120) solar activity. Results indicate that increased solar activity has a marked effect on the electron temperature. At 8000 km altitude, the typical low-latitude daytime electron temperature is around 8000 K. The nighttime electron temperature at 8000 km is around 4000 K. The averaged daytime difference between high and low solar activity conditions is around 1000 K at altitudes above 2500 km. Between 1000 and 2000 km altitude this situation is reversed, and the electron temperature is comparatively higher during periods of low solar activity during both day and night. Composition changes in the region are proposed as a mechanism for this reversal. In addition, there is evidence of an asymmetry in thermal electron temperature between the northern and southern hemispheres. The averaged electron temperature is found to be comparatively higher in the northern hemisphere during the daytime and comparatively higher in the southern hemisphere during the nighttime. This difference between hemispheres is particularly evident during the nighttime, and during the rapid heating and cooling periods around sunrise and sunset. Possible reasons for the asymmetry are discussed. Profiles are also presented for conditions of high (Ap>30) and low (Ap<20) magnetic activity. Analysis has confirmed that geomagnetic activity has little effect on electron temperature below L=2.2.     

Internal structure and occurrence of accretionary lapilli — a case study at Laacher See Volcano

Accretionary lapilli are common in fine-grained pyroclastic flow and surge deposits and related co-ignimbrite/co-surge ash layers of Laacher See volcano. Two morphologically different types are distin-guished: (1) Rim-type lapilli are composed of a coarse-grained core surrounded by a fine-grained rim. Rims are internally graded or made up of several layers of alternating fine and very-fine grained ash. (2) Core-type lapilli lack fine-grained rims. Field relationships, internal, and grain-size characteristics are specific to accretionary lapilli from different types of tephra deposits. Accretionary lapilli may therefore be a helpful tool to infer the origin of tephra of different origin. In co-ignimbrite ashfall, accretionary lapilli are generally concentrated at the base, whereas pyroclastic flow and surge deposits contain lapilli in the upper parts of individual, thin-bedded layers. Rim-type lapilli are found in pyroclastic flow and surge deposits up to 4 km from the source. Core-type lapilli occur at greater distances or are associated with vesiculated tuffs where they are within 1 km from the vent. Accretionary lapilli from co-ignimbrite/co-surge ash show open framework textures and edge-to-face contacts of individual ash particles. Vesicularity is generally low but the overall porosity of 40% to 50% results in an average density of 1200 kg/m³. Accretionary lapilli in pyroclastic flow and surge deposits are more densely packed and platy particles are often in face-to-face contacts. Vesicularity of those from pyroclastic flow deposits is significantly higher; the overall porosity is about 30% to 40% and the average density 1600 kg/m³. Grain-size analyses show that the accretionary lapilli in co-ignimbrite/co-surge ashfall deposits are the most fine-grained with a median (Md) of 20 to 30 m and a maximum grain size of 250 to 350 m. Accretionary lapilli from pyroclastic flow deposits have intermediate Md-values of 30 to 50 m and a maximum grain size of 350 to 500 m. Those of surge deposits are the coarsest grained with Md-values of 30 to >63 m and a maximum grain size up to 2 mm.