Transport of variable-density solute plumes in beach aquifers in response to oceanic forcing

A comprehensive numerical study was undertaken to investigate transport of a variable-density, conservative solute plume in an unconfined coastal aquifer subject to high and low frequency oceanic forcing. The model combined variable-density saturated flow for groundwater and solute transport, and wave hydrodynamics from a 2D Navier–Stokes solver. A sinusoidal tidal signal was specified by implementing time-varying heads at the seaward boundary. The solute plume behavior was investigated under different oceanic forcing conditions: no forcing, waves, tide, and combined waves and tide. For each forcing condition, four different injected solute densities (freshwater, brackish water, seawater, brine) were used to investigate the effects of density on the transport of the injected plume beneath and across the beach face. The plume’s low-order spatial moments were computed, viz., mass, centroid, variance and aspect ratio. The results confirmed that both tide- and wave-forcing produce an upper saline plume beneath the beach face in addition to the classical saltwater wedge. For the no-forcing and tide-only cases (during rising tides), an additional small circulation cell below the beach face was observed. Oceanic forcing affects strongly the solute plume’s flow path, residence time and discharge rate across the beach face, as well as its spreading. For the same oceanic forcing, solute plumes with different densities follow different trajectories from the source to the discharge location (beach face). The residence time and plume spreading increased with plume density. It was concluded that simulations that neglect the effect of waves or tides cannot reproduce accurately solute plume dispersion and also, in the case of coasts with small waves or tides, the solute residence time in the aquifer.     

Baseline of butyltin pollution in coastal sediments within the Basque Country (northern Spain), in 2007-2008

Tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT) were measured in surficial sediments at, the ports of Pasaia and Bilbao, together with other mid- and small-size harbours of the Basque Country (northern Spain), in 2007-2008. The highest values of the sum of the three measured butyltin species (3523-3640 ng g⁻¹, as Sn) were found at sampling stations near to shipyards located within the port of Pasaia. The highest value of TBT concentration (3143 ng g⁻¹, as Sn) was found at the marina of Getxo, in the port of Bilbao. The degree of TBT degradation varied greatly between sampling stations, being found to be generally higher in those sediments with higher values of redox potential and lower values of TBT concentration (normalized by organic matter content).     

Hydrochemical variability during flood events within a small forested catchment in Basque Country (Northern Spain)

Understanding runoff processes is critical to issues of water quality. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to test a methodology that can be used when continuous electrical conductivity (EC) data are recorded in a single control point and no more data are available along the catchment. Although both non‐tracer‐based and tracer‐based techniques have been used for two‐component hydrograph separation, EC‐based method proved to be more suitable to gain further insight into the runoff generation and can help clarifying water sources and flowpaths to the river. So the use of EC has allowed the separation of pre‐event (Qp) and event (Qe) water contribution in different types of flood events, the assessment of temporal behaviour of related elements and the calculation of Qp/Qe ratio and regression equations. However, the weaker correlations of some elements with discharge and with this ratio lead us to admit the existence of at least one third component of flow, which is characterized by dissolved organic carbon, SO₄^2? and Cl^?. This component presumably comes from a far‐stream source and through a subsurface flow and is the key for advancing in new findings on the catchment hydrology. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model of cells as practical approach to simulate spring flow in the Itxina karstic aquifer, Basque Country, Spain

The aim of this study is to apply a parsimonious hydrologic model to the Itxina karstic aquifer that can predict changes in discharge resulting from variable inputs (recharge). The Itxina Aquifer was divided into four cells corresponding to different recharge areas. Each cell was treated as a tank to characterize the conditions within the cell. In the model, when the reservoir boundaries coincide with the position of the siphons, the signal simulated is sensitive to input pulses of the recharge. This supports the hypothesis that the siphons are the controlling mechanism in the flow system of the aquifer. The good agreement between predicted and measured discharges demonstrates the ability of the model to simulate the flow in the Itxina Aquifer. These results demonstrated that the hydraulic conductivity increases downstream within the aquifer. The hydraulic conductivities obtained by calibration varied between 4.2 x 10(-3) m/s upstream of the aquifer, 6.0 x 10(-2) m/s in the central region, and 9.5 x 10(-1) m/s in the lower region of the aquifer. These values seem reasonable because the underground features in the principal caves show that the density of caves increases downstream in the Itxina Aquifer. The simple representation of the system produced results comparable to traditional ground water models with fewer data requirements and calibration parameters.     

Conceptual model of fracture-limited sea cliff erosion: Erosion of the seaward tilted flyschs of Socoa,Basque Country,France

Sea cliff morphology and erosion rates are modulated by several factors, including rock control that reflects both lithology and rock structure. Erosion is anticipated to preferentially exploit ‘fractures’, broadly meant as any discontinuity in an otherwise continuous medium, where the rock mass is weakest. Unpicking the direct control of such fractures on the spatial and temporal pattern of erosion remains, however, challenging. To analyse how such fractures control erosion, we monitored the evolution of a 400 m-long stretch of highly structured sedimentary cliffs in Socoa, Basque Country, France. The rock is known as the Socoa flysch formation. This formation combines decimetre-thick turbidites composed of repeat triplets of medium to strong calcareous sandstone, laminated siltstones and argillaceous marls. The sequence plunges at 45° into the sea with a shore-parallel strike. The cliffs are cross-cut by two normal and reverse fault families, with 10–100 m alongshore spacing, with primary and secondary strata-bound fractures perpendicular to the bedding, which combined delimit the cliff rock mass into discrete blocks that are exploited by the erosion process. Erosion, and sometimes plucking, of such beds and blocks on the cliff face was monitored using ground-based structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, over the course of 5.7 years between 2011 and 2017. To compare with longer time change, cliff-top retreat rate was assessed using SfM-orthorectified archive aerial photographs spanning 1954–2008. We show that the 13,250 m² cliff face released 4500 blocks exceeding 1.45 × 10⁻³ m³, removing a total volume of 170 m³. This equates to an average cliff erosion rate of 3.4 mm/year, which is slightly slower than the 54-year-long local cliff-top retreat (10.8 ± 1.8 mm/year). The vertical distribution of erosion reflects the height of sea water inundation, where the maximum erosion intensity occurs ca. 2 m above high spring-tide water level. Alongshore, the distribution of rockfall scars is concentrated along bed edges bounding cross-cutting faults; the extent of block detachment is controlled by secondary tectonic joints, which may extend through several beds locally sharing similar mechanical strength; and rockfall depth is always a multiple of bed thickness. Over the longer term, we explain block detachment and resultant cliff collapse as a cycle. Erosion nucleates on readily exploitable fractures but elsewhere, the sea only meets defect-free medium-strong to strong rock slabs offering few morphological features for exploitation. Structurally delimited blocks are quarried, and with sufficient time, carve semi-elliptic scars reaching progressively deeper strata to be eroded. Lateral propagation of erosion is directed along mechanical weaknesses in the bedding, and large episodic collapses affect the overhanging slabs via sliding on the weak marl beds. Collapse geometry is confined to one or several triplets of turbidite beds, but never reaches deeper into the cliff than the eroded depth at the foot. We contend that this fracture-limited model of sea-cliff erosion, inferred from the Socoa site dynamics and its peculiar sets of fractures, applies more broadly to other fractured cliff contexts, albeit with site-specific geometries. The initiation of erosion, the propagation of incremental block release and the ultimate full failure of the cliff, have each been shown to be fundamentally directly controlled by structure, which remains a vital control in understanding how cliffed coasts have changed in the past and will change in the future.     

Progress in the numerical modeling of mantle plumes

The mantle plume model, as an integral part of the Earth’s internal convection system, is complementary to the theory of plate tectonics. They together constitute the key configuration of material circulation and energy transport in the Earth’s interior. Seismology, high-temperature and high-pressure mineralogy, geology, and geodynamic numerical modeling have conducted comprehensive studies on the mantle plume model since it was proposed. In particular, numerical simulation, which investigates t...     

Dynamics of aircraft exhaust plumes in the jet-regime

A computational model describing the two-dimensional, turbulent mixing of a single jet of exhaust gas from aircraft engines with the ambient atmosphere is presented. The underlying assumptions and governing equations are examined and supplemented by a discussion of analytical solutions. As an application, the jet dynamics of a B747-400 aircraft engine in cruise and its dependence on key parameters is investigated in detail. The computer code for this dynamical model is computationally fast and can easily be coupled to complex chemical and microphysical models in order to perform comprehensive studies of atmospheric effects from aircraft exhaust emissions in the jet regime.     

Particle recycling in volcanic plumes

We have developed a new theoretical model of an eruption column that accounts for the re-entrainment of particles as they fall out of the laterally spreading umbrella cloud. The model illustrates how the mass flux of particles in the plume may increase with height in the plume, by a factor as large as 2.5 because of this recycling. Three important consequences are that (1) the critical velocity required to generate a buoyant eruption column for a given mass flux increases, (2) the total height of rise of the column may decrease, and (3) we infer that in relatively wind-free environments, for eruption columns near the conditions for collapse, the recycling of particles may lead to an unsteady oscillating motion of the plume, which, in time, may lead to the formation of interleaved fall and flow deposits.     

Electrification of volcanic plumes

Volcanic lightning, perhaps the most spectacular consequence of the electrification of volcanic plumes, has been implicated in the origin of life on Earth, and may also exist in other planetary atmospheres. Recent years have seen volcanic lightning detection used as part of a portfolio of developing techniques to monitor volcanic eruptions. Remote sensing measurement techniques have been used to monitor volcanic lightning, but surface observations of the atmospheric electric Potential Gradient (PG) and the charge carried on volcanic ash also show that many volcanic plumes, whilst not sufficiently electrified to produce lightning, have detectable electrification exceeding that of their surrounding environment. Electrification has only been observed associated with ash-rich explosive plumes, but there is little evidence that the composition of the ash is critical to its occurrence. Different conceptual theories for charge generation and separation in volcanic plumes have been developed to explain the disparate observations obtained, but the ash fragmentation mechanism appears to be a key parameter. It is unclear which mechanisms or combinations of electrification mechanisms dominate in different circumstances. Electrostatic forces play an important role in modulating the dry fall-out of ash from a volcanic plume. Beyond the local electrification of plumes, the higher stratospheric particle concentrations following a large explosive eruption may affect the global atmospheric electrical circuit. It is possible that this might present another, if minor, way by which large volcanic eruptions affect global climate. The direct hazard of volcanic lightning to communities is generally low compared to other aspects of volcanic activity.     

Dispersion of surface plumes in the Southern North Sea

Summary Continuous releases of fluorescent dye were made in the southern North Sea and the power law dependence of the plume width, represented by _y , against the diffusion time determined. The spreading was non-Fickian and could be represented in the form _y ² =B ² t whereB was a diffusion velocity of magnitude 1.4×10^–2 m/s. Such spreading was reproduced in both particle tracking and finite difference plume models by allowing the horizontal diffusivity,K _H, to depend linearly on diffusion time. The weakness of this method is that it is not clear how the diffusion parameters can be extrapolated to weather conditions that are different to those prevailing at the time of the experiments. However, comparable spreading rates were obtained by combining a Fickian diffusion model with an advective field that represented the near-surface current shears due to wind and waves. The resulting shear diffusion effect produced realistic simulation of the observed dispersion rates. An advantage of this approach is that it enables predictions to be made over a range of weather conditions provided that the wind and wave shears can be accurately parameterized.

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Ausbreitung von Tracerwolken an der Oberfläche in der südlichen Nordsee

Zusammenfassung Fluoreszierender Farbstoff wurde in der südlichen Nordsee kontinuierlich freigesetzt und die Breite der Wolke, repräsentiert durch _y , in Abhägigkeit von der Ausbreitungszeit bestimmt. Die Ausbreitung folgte nicht dem Fickschen Ansatz und konnte in der Form _y ² =B ² t dargestellt werden, wobeiB eine Ausbreitungsgeschwindigkeit von der Größenordnung 1.4×10^–2 m/s darstellt. Eine derartige Ausbreitung wurde sowohl mit Modellen des Partikel-Tracking als auch mit Modellen der finiten Differenzen reproduziert, wobei die horizontale AusbreitungsgrößeK _H linear von der Diffusionszeit abhängig war. Die Schwäche dieser Methode ist, daß es nicht klar ist, wie die Diffusions-Parameter für andere Wetterbedingungen als zur Zeit des Experiments zu extrapolieren wären. Vergleichbare Ausbreitungsverhältnisse werden durch die Kombination eines Fickschen Diffusionsmodells mit einem advektiven Feld erreicht, welches die oberflächennahen durch Wind und Wellen verursachten Stromscherungen berücksichtigt. Der so resultierende Scher-Diffusions-Effekt erbrachte ein realistische Simulation der beobachteten Ausbreitung. Ein Vorteil dieses Vorgehens ist, daß es Vorhersagen über einen Bereich von Wetterbedingungen ermöglicht, vorausgesetzt, daß die durch Wind und Wellen verurschte Scherung zutreffend parameterisiert werden kann.

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La dispersion de la panache de surface dans la partie sud de la Mer du Nord

Résumé A partir de déversements continus de produits fluorescents effectués dans la partie sud de la Mer du Nord, on a pu déterminer l'expression de la largeur du panache _y , par son carré en fonction du temps de diffusion. La dispersion n'était pas du type Fickian et était représentée sous la forme _y ² =B ² t aB était une vitesse de diffusion de grandeur égale 1.4×10^–2 m/s. Une telle dispersion peut être reproduite par une modélisation du panache à la fois par suivi de particules et aux différences finies en admettant que le coefficient de diffusion horizontaleK _H dépendait linéairement du temps. L'inconvénient de cette méthode est qu'il n'est pas facile de savoir comment les paramètres de diffusion peuvent être extrapolés à des conditions météorologiques différentes de celles prévalant au moment des expériences. Quoi qu'il en soit, des taux de dispersion comparables ont été obtenus en combinant un modèle de diffusion Fickian avec un champ d'advection qui représentait les cisaillements de courant de surface dus au vent et aux vagues. L'effet de diffusion du cisaillement résultant produisit une simulation réaliste des taux de dispersion observés. Un avantage de cette approche est de rendre possible des prédictions réalisées à travers un éventail de conditions météorologiques à condition que les cisaillements liés au vent et aux vagues puissent être paramétrisés avec précision.

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Geomorphic monitoring and response to two dam removals: rivers Urumea and Leitzaran (Basque Country,Spain)

Dam removal has been demonstrated to be one of the most frequent and effective fluvial restoration actions but at most dam removals, especially of small dams, there has been little geomorphological monitoring. The results of the geomorphological monitoring implemented in two dams in the rivers Urumea and Leitzaran (northern Spain) are presented. The one from the River Urumea, originally 3.5 m high and impounding 500 m of river course, was removed instantaneously whereas that in the River Leitzaran, 12.5 m high, and impounding 1500 m of river course, is in its second phase of a four‐stage removal process. Changes in channel morphology, sediment size and mobility and river bed morphologies were assessed. The monitoring included several different techniques: topographical measurements of the channel, terrestrial laser scanner measurements of river bed and bars, sediment grain size and transport; all of them repeated in four (May, August, November 2011 and May 2012) and five (July and September 2013, April and August 2014 and June 2015) fieldwork campaigns in the River Urumea and River Leitzaran, respectively. Geomorphic responses of both dam removals are presented, and compared. Morphological channel adjustments occurred mainly shortly after dam removals, but with differences among the one removed instantaneously, that was immediate, whereas that conducted by stages took longer. Degradational processes were observed upstream of both dams (up to 1.2 m and 4 m in the River Urumea and River Leitzaran, respectively), but also aggradational processes (pool filling), upstream of Inturia Dam (2.85 m at least). Less evident aggradational processes were observed downstream of the dams (up to 0.37 m and 0.50 m in the River Urumea and River Leitzaran, respectively). Flood events, especially a 100 year flood registered during the monitoring period of Mendaraz Dam removal, reactivated geomorphological processes as incision and bank erosion, whereas longitudinal profile recovery, grain‐size sorting and upstream erosion took longer. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mantle plumes in the models of quasi-turbulent thermal convection

The process of multiple self-nucleation and ascent of mantle plumes is studied in the numerical models of thermal convection. The plumes are observed even in the simplest isoviscous models of thermal convection that leave aside the more complex rheology of the material, thermochemical effects, phase transformations, etc., which, although controlling the features of plumes, are not necessary for their formation. The origin of plumes is mainly due to the instability of the mantle flows at highly intense (low-viscous) thermal convection. At high viscosity, convective flows form regular cells. As viscosity decreases, the ascending and descending flows become narrower and unsteady. At a further decrease in viscosity, the ascending plumes assume a mushroom-like shape and occasionally change their position in the mantle. The lifetime of each flow can attain 100 Ma. Using markers allows visualizing the evolution of the shape of the mantle plumes.     

Serpentinite protrusions in the oceanic crust

Serpentinite may be a significant component of the oceanic crust, not as a continuous layer, but as vertical tectonic protrusions and sills emplaced from the upper mantle into fault zones parallel to the axis of spreading ridges. The diapiric emplacement of serpentinite bodies occurs within 100–200 km of ridge axis, with a rate of ascent on the order of 1 mm/year. Serpentinite protrusions may cause small-scale linear magnetic anomalies parallel to ridge axis. Serpentinites are distributed in the oceanic crust according to an orthogonal pattern, with large serpentinite protrusions aligned along major fracture zones, and smaller serpentinite bodies emplaced in bands parallel to ridge axis.     

Bifurcation of volcanic plumes in a crosswind

Bent-over buoyant jets distorted by a crosscurrent develop a vortex pair structure and can bifurcate to produce two distinct lobes which diverge from one another downwind. The region downwind of the source between the lobes has relatively low proportions of discharged fluid. Factors invoked by previous workers to cause or enhance bifurcation include buoyancy, release of latent heat at the plume edge by evaporating water droplets, geometry and orientation of the source, and the encounter with a density interface on the rising path of the plume. We suggest that the pressure distribution around the vortex pair of a rising plume may initially trigger bifurcation. We also report new experimental observations confirming that bifurcation becomes stronger for stronger bent-over plumes, identifying that bifurcation can also occur for straight-edged plumes but gradually disappears for stronger plumes which form a gravity current at their final level and spread for a significant distance against the current. Observations from satellites and the ground are reviewed and confirm that volcanic plumes can show bifurcation and a large range of bifurcation angles. Many of the bifurcating plumes spread out at the tropopause level and suggest the tropopause may act on the plumes as a density interface enhancing bifurcation. Even for quite moderate bifurcation angles, the two plume lobes become rapidly separated downwind by distances of tens of kilometers. Such bifurcating plumes drifting apart can only result in bilobate tephra fall deposits. The tephra fall deposit from the 16 km elevation, SE spreading, bifurcating volcanic plume erupted on 15 May 1981 from Mt Pagan was sampled by previous workers and clearly displayed bilobate characteristics. Examples of bilobate tephra fall deposits are reviewed and their origin briefly discussed. Bilobate deposits are common and may result from many causes. Plume bifurcation should be considered one of the possible mechanisms which can account for come examples of bilobate tephra fall deposits.     

Assessing reference conditions and physico-chemical status according to the European Water Framework Directive: a case-study from the Basque Country (Northern Spain)

The European Water Framework Directive requires the development of new and accurate methodologies, addressing the assessment of the physico-chemical status of transitional and coastal waters; these are considered by the Directive as the supporting elements for the final evaluation of the Ecological Quality Status.

This contribution develops new approaches in the determination of the physico-chemical status, solving some problems detected in previous contributions, i.e.: (a) fitting the classification of water bodies and typologies, by means of the stretching of the typologies, according to the natural salinity gradient of types; (b) defining reference conditions, based upon the new approach to typologies, (c) proposing accurate multivariate methodologies, in determining the physico-chemical status of the transitional and coastal waters, based upon the defined typologies and references; and (d) discussion of the results obtained by reference to methodological aspects and water quality evolution in the Basque Country, Spain (as a case-study), during the last decade.     

Isotopic mapping of groundwater perchlorate plumes

Analyses of stable isotope ratios of chlorine and oxygen in perchlorate can, in some cases, be used for mapping and source identification of groundwater perchlorate plumes. This is demonstrated here for large, intersecting perchlorate plumes in groundwater from a region having extensive groundwater perchlorate contamination and a large population dependent on groundwater resources. The region contains both synthetic perchlorate derived from rocket fuel manufacturing and testing activities and agricultural perchlorate derived predominantly from imported Chilean (Atacama) nitrate fertilizer, along with a likely component of indigenous natural background perchlorate from local wet and dry atmospheric deposition. Most samples within each plume reflect either a predominantly synthetic or a predominantly agricultural perchlorate source and there is apparently a minor contribution from the indigenous natural background perchlorate. The existence of isotopically distinct perchlorate plumes in this area is consistent with other lines of evidence, including groundwater levels and flow paths as well as the historical land use and areal distribution of potential perchlorate sources.