Local erosion rates versus active tectonics: cosmic ray exposure modelling in Provence (south-east France)

Over the past decade, in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides have revolutionised the study of landscape evolution. In particular, numerous studies have demonstrated that, in active tectonic settings, cosmic ray exposure dating of deformed or displaced geomorphic features makes it possible to quantify long-term deformation rates. In western European countries, erosion due to climatically driven processes and human activities is probably the factor that most limits the accuracy of exposure ages and landscape modification rates. In this study, we present the results of a depth-profiling technique applied to alluvial terraces located along the Rhône and the Moyenne Durance rivers. The expected decrease with depth of the measured ¹⁰Be concentrations has been modelled using a χ² inversion method in order to constrain the exposure history of the alluvial sediments. The results suggest that: (1) over the Quaternary, the local surface erosion rates including both regional uplift and climatically driven processes acting on landforms are on the order of 30 m/Myr in southeastern France, and (2) providing a fairly good bracketing of the exposure age, the modelled abandonment age of alluvial terraces affected by the Moyenne Durance Fault allows estimating incision rates, comparing the alluvial terrace elevations with topographic river profiles, and a minimum vertical slip rate value of roughly 0.02 mm/yr for the southern segment of the Moyenne Durance Fault.     

Study of the erosion rates in the upper Maracujá Basin (Quadrilátero Ferrífero/MG,Brazil) by the in situ produced cosmogenic 10Be method

The present work quantifies the erosive processes in the two main substrates (schists–phyllites and granites–gneisses) of the upper Maracujá Basin in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero/MG, Brazil, a region of semi‐humid tropical climate. Two measuring methods of concentration were used: (i) in situ produced ¹⁰Be in quartz veins (surface erosion rates) and (ii) ¹⁰Be in fluvial sediments (basin erosion rates). The results confirm that (i) erosion tends to be more aggressive close to the headwaters than in the lower parts of the basin and (ii) the region is now affected by dissection. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cosmogenic nuclide‐derived rates of diffusive and episodic erosion in the glacially sculpted upper Rhone Valley,Swiss Alps

Denudation rates of small tributary valleys in the upper Rhone valley of the Swiss Central Alps vary by more than an order of magnitude within a very small distance (tens of kilometers). Morphometric data indicate two distinct erosion processes operate in these steep mountain valleys. We determined the rates of these processes using cosmogenic beryllium‐10 (¹⁰Be) in pooled soil and stream sediment samples. Denudation in deep, glacially scoured valleys is characterized by rapid, non‐uniform processes, such as debris flows and rock falls. In these steep valleys denudation rates are 760–2100 mm kyr^?1. In those basins which show minimal previous glacial modification denudation rates are low with 60–560 mm kyr^?1. The denudation rate in each basin represents a binary mixture between the rapid, non‐uniform processes, and soil creep. The soil production rate measured with cosmogenic ¹⁰Be in soil samples averages at 60 mm kyr^?1. Mixing calculations suggest that the debris flows and rock falls are occurring at rates up to 3000–7000 mm kyr^?1. These very high rates occur in the absence of baselevel lowering, since the tributaries drain into the Rhone trunk stream up‐stream of a knickzone. The flux‐weighted spatial average of denudation rates for the upper Rhone valley is 1400 mm kyr^?1, which is similar to rock uplift rates determined in this area from leveling. The pace and location of erosion processes are determined by the oscillation between a glacial and a non‐glacial state, preventing the landscape from reaching equilibrium. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tracing the temporal evolution of soil redistribution rates in an agricultural landscape using 239+240Pu and 10Be

Two principal groups of processes shape mass fluxes from and into a soil: vertical profile development and lateral soil redistribution. Periods having predominantly progressive soil forming processes (soil profile development) alternate with periods having predominantly regressive processes (erosion). As a result, short-term soil redistribution – years to decades – can differ substantially from long-term soil redistribution; i.e. centuries to millennia. However, the quantification of these processes is difficult and consequently their rates are poorly understood. To assess the competing roles of erosion and deposition we determined short- and long-term soil redistribution rates in a formerly glaciated area of the Uckermark, northeast Germany. We compared short-term erosion or accumulation rates using plutonium-239 and -240 (^239+240Pu) and long-term rates using both in situ and meteoric cosmogenic beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be). Three characteristic process domains have been analysed in detail: a flat landscape position having no erosion/deposition, an erosion-dominated mid-slope, and a deposition-dominated lower-slope site. We show that the short-term mass erosion and accumulation rates are about one order of magnitude higher than long-term redistribution rates. Both, in situ and meteoric ¹⁰Be provide comparable results. Depth functions, and therefore not only an average value of the topsoil, give the most meaningful rates. The long-term soil redistribution rates were in the range of −2.1 t ha^-1 yr^-1 (erosion) and +0.26 t ha^-1 yr^-1 (accumulation) whereas the short-term erosion rates indicated strong erosion of up to 25 t ha^-1 yr^-1 and accumulation of 7.6 t ha^-1 yr^-1. Our multi-isotope method identifies periods of erosion and deposition, confirming the ‘time-split approach’ of distinct different phases (progressive/regressive) in soil evolution. With such an approach, temporally-changing processes can be disentangled, which allows the identification of both the dimensions of and the increase in soil erosion due to human influence. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sidewall erosion: Insights from in situ-produced 10Be concentrations measured on supraglacial clasts (Mont Blanc massif,France)

Sidewall erosion because of rockfalls is one of the most efficient erosional processes in the highest parts of mountain ranges; it is therefore important to quantify sidewall erosion to understand the long-term evolution of mountainous topography. In this study, we analyse how the ¹⁰Be concentration of supraglacial debris can be used to quantify sidewall erosion in a glaciated catchment. We first analyse, in a glaciated catchment, the cascade of processes that move a rock from a rockwall to a supraglacial location and propose a quantitative estimate of the number of rockfalls statistically mixed in a supraglacial sand sample. This model incorporates the size of the rockwall, a power law distribution of the size of the rockfalls and the mean glacial transport velocity. In the case of the Bossons glacier catchment (Mont Blanc massif), the ¹⁰Be concentrations obtained for supraglacial samples vary from 1.97 ± 0.24 to 23.82 ± 1.68 × 10⁴ atoms g⁻¹. Our analysis suggests that part of the ¹⁰Be concentration dispersion is related to an insufficient number of amalgamated rockfalls that does not erase the stochastic nature of the sidewall erosion. In the latter case, the concentration of several collected samples is averaged to increase the number of statistically amalgamated rockfalls. Variable and robust ¹⁰Be-derived rockwall retreat rates are obtained for three distinct rockfall zones in the Bossons catchment and are 0.19 ± 0.08 mm year⁻¹, 0.54 ± 0.1 mm year⁻¹ and 1.08 ± 0.17 mm year⁻¹. The mean ¹⁰Be retreat rate for the whole catchment (ca. 0.65 mm year⁻¹) is close to the present-day erosion rate derived from other methods. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Understanding fracture distribution and its relation to knickpoint evolution in the Rio Icacos watershed (Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory,Puerto Rico) using landscape-scale hydrogeophysics

The Rio Icacos watershed in the Luquillo Mountains (Puerto Rico) is unique due to its extremely rapid weathering rates. The watershed is incised into a quartz diorite that has developed a large knickzone defining the river profile. Regolith thickness within the watershed generally decreases from 20 to 30 m at the ridges to several meters in the quartz diorite-dominated valley to tens of centimeters near the major river knickpoint, as determined from previous studies. Above the knickzone, we observe spheroidal corestones, but below this weathering is much less apparent. Measured erosion rates from previous studies are also high in the knickzone compared with upper elevations within the river profile. A suite of near-surface geophysical methods (i.e. ground penetrating radar and terrain conductivity) capable of fast data acquisition in rugged landscapes, was deployed at kilometer scales to characterize critical zone structure. Concentrations of chaotic ground penetrating radar (GPR) reflections and diffraction hyperbolas with low electrical conductivity were observed in vertical zones that outcrop at the land surface as areas of intense fracturing and spheroidally weathered corestones. The width of these fractured and weathered zones showed an increase with proximity to the knickpoint, and was attributed to dilation of these sub-vertical fractures near the knickpoint, as postulated theoretically by a stress model calculated for the topographic variability across the knickzone in the Rio Icacos, and that shows a release of compressive stress near the knickpoint. We hypothesize that erosion rates increase in the knickzone because of this inferred dilation of fractures. Specifically, opened fractures could enhance access of water and in turn promote spalling, erosion, and spheroidal weathering. This study shows that ground-based hydrogeophysical methods used at the landscape-scale (traditionally applied at smaller scales) can be used to explore critical zone architecture at the scales needed to explain the extreme variability in erosion rates across river profiles. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multi‐year tracking of sediment sources in a small agricultural watershed using rare earth elements

Rare earth elements (REEs) have been successfully used as a sediment tracer, but the REE technique has never been used for studying sediment sources for a multi‐year period. A nearly four‐year field experiment was conducted on a small agricultural watershed near Coshocton, OH, USA, to assess the applicability of the REE technique for a multi‐year period and to evaluate the relative contributions of sediment sources in the watershed. Tracer depletion and tracer enrichment ratio (ratio of the tracer concentrations in sediment to the concentrations in the soil in the areas of application) were evaluated to examine the applicability and accuracy of the technique. A minimum of 91 per cent of the mass of the applied elements was still available on any individual morphological element at the end of the experimental period. The tracer enrichment ratio varied from 0·4 to 2·3, and it was not significantly related to time. The relative contributions of six morphological elements within the watershed were evaluated as proportions to total sediment yield. The relative contribution of the lower channel was significantly increased as a function of the amount of sediment yield, while that of the lower backslope was significantly decreased. The relative contribution of the lower channel significantly decreased as a function of cumulative sediment yield, while the contributions of the shoulder and the upper backslope significantly increased. Our results showed that the REE technique can be used to track sediment sources for a relatively long period with two limitations or potential sources of error associated with a selective depletion of tracers and a contamination of downslope areas with tagged sediments from upslope areas. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Architecture of the deep critical zone in the Río Icacos watershed (Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory,Puerto Rico) inferred from drilling and ground penetrating radar (GPR)

In the critical zone, surficial bedrock interactions result in the formation of a mantle of chemically‐ and physically‐altered material defined here as regolith. In the watershed of the Río Icacos, an upland river draining the Luquillo Mountains in tropical Puerto Rico, we explored the influence of lithology (quartz diorite versus hornfels‐facies volcaniclastic rock) on weathering. Regolith profiles were studied by drilling boreholes and imaging the subsurface using ground penetrating radar (GPR). Overall, the regolith structure is not laterally continuous but rather is punctuated by zones of deep fractures that host in situ weathering, corestones, and colluvial material. GPR images of these vertical zones show reflectors at 15–20 m depth. Thus, the architecture of the critical zone in the upper Luquillo Mountains is highly dependent on lithology and its influence on fracture development. At the highest elevations where hornfels overlies quartz diorite, positive feedbacks occur when the water table drops so that oxidative weathering of biotite in the more felsic rock creates microfractures and allows deeper infiltration of meteoric waters. Such exposure results in some of the fastest weathering rocks in the world and may contribute to formation of the knickpoint in the Río Icacos watershed. This work represents the first study combining GPR and drilling to look at the structure of the deep critical zone and demonstrates: (1) the importance of combining direct methods (such as drilling) with indirect methods (such as GPR) to understand the architecture of the critical zone in tropical systems; (2) the interplay of the surficial stress regime, lithology and climate in dictating the architecture of weathering. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term effects of management practices on water‐driven soil erosion in an intense agricultural sub‐watershed: monitoring and modelling

The overarching objective of this research was to provide an improved understanding of the role of land use and associated management practices on long‐term water‐driven soil erosion in small agricultural watersheds by coupling the established, physically based, distributed parameter Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model with long‐term hydrologic, land use and soil data. A key step towards achieving this objective was the development of a detailed methodology for model calibration using physical ranges of key governing parameters such as effective hydraulic conductivity, critical hydraulic shear stress and rill/inter‐rill erodibilities. The physical ranges for these governing parameters were obtained based on in situ observations within the South Amana Sub‐Watershed (SASW) (～26 km²) of the Clear Creek, IA watershed where detailed documentation of the different land uses was available for a period of nearly 100 years. A quasi validation of the calibrated model was conducted through long‐term field estimates of water and sediment discharge at the outlet of SASW and also by comparing the results with data reported in the literature for other Iowa watersheds exhibiting similar biogeochemical properties. Once WEPP was verified, ‘thought experiments’ were conducted to test our hypothesis that land use and associated management practices may be the major control of long‐term erosion in small agricultural watersheds such as SASW. Those experiments were performed using the dominant 2‐year crop rotations in the SASW, namely, fall till corn–no till bean (FTC‐NTB), no till bean–spring till corn (NTB‐STC) and no till corn–fall till bean (NTC‐FTB), which comprised approximately 90% of the total acreage in SASW. Results of this study showed that for all crop rotations, a strong correspondence existed between soil erosion rates and high‐magnitude precipitation events during the period of mid‐April and late July, as expected. The magnitude of this correspondence, however, was strongly affected by the crop rotation characteristics, such as canopy/residue cover provided by the crop, and the type and associated timing of tillage. Tillage type (i.e. primary and secondary tillages) affected the roughness of the soil surface and resulted in increases of the rill/inter‐rill erodibilities up to 35% and 300%, respectively. Particularly, the NTC‐FTB crop rotation, being the most intense land use in terms of tillage operations, caused the highest average annual erosion rate within the SASW, yielding quadrupled erosion rates comparatively to NTB‐STC. The impacts of tillage operation were further exacerbated by the timing of the operations in relation to precipitation events. Timing of operations affected the ‘life‐time’ of residue cover and as a result, the degree of protection that residue cover offers against the water action on the soil surface. In the case of NTC‐FTB crop rotation, dense corn residue stayed on the ground for only 40 days, whereas for the other two rotations, corn residue provided a protective layer for nearly 7 months, lessening thus the degree of soil erosion. The cumulative effects of tillage type and timing in conjunction with canopy/residue cover led to the conclusion that land management practices can significantly amplify or deamplify the impact of precipitation on long‐term soil erosion in small agricultural watersheds. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved discrimination of subglacial and periglacial erosion using 10Be concentration measurements in subglacial and supraglacial sediment load of the Bossons glacier (Mont Blanc massif,France)

Deciphering the complex interplays between climate, uplift and erosion is not straightforward and estimating present‐day erosion rates can provide useful insights. Glaciers are thought to be powerful erosional agents, but most published ‘glacial’ erosion rates combine periglacial, subglacial and proglacial erosion processes. Within a glaciated catchment, sediments found in subglacial streams originate either from glacial erosion of substratum or from the rock walls above the glacier that contribute to the supraglacial load. Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) are produced by interactions between cosmic ray particles and element targets at the surface of the Earth, but their concentration becomes negligible under 15 m of ice. Measuring TCN concentrations in quartz sand sampled in subglacial streams and in supraglacial channels is statistically compliant with stochastic processes (e.g. rockfalls) and may be used to discriminate subglacial and periglacial erosion. Results for two subglacial streams of the Bossons glacier (Mont Blanc massif, France) show that the proportion of sediments originating from glacially eroded bedrock is not constant: it varies from 50% to 90% (n = 6). The difference between the two streams is probably linked to the presence or absence of supraglacial channels and sinkholes, which are common features of alpine glaciers. Therefore, most of the published mean catchment glacial erosion rates should not be directly interpreted as subglacial erosion rates. In the case of catchments with efficient periglacial erosion and particularly rockfalls, the proportion of sediments in the subglacial stream originating from the supraglacial load could be considerable and the subglacial erosion rate overestimated. Here, we estimate warm‐based subglacial and periglacial erosion rates to be of the same order of magnitude: 0.39 ± 0.33 and 0.29 ± 0.17 mm a^?1, respectively. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of artificial subsurface drainage on groundwater travel times and baseflow discharge in an agricultural watershed,Iowa (USA)

Pollutant delivery through artificial subsurface drainage networks to streams is an important transport mechanism, yet the impact of drainage tiles on groundwater hydrology at the watershed scale has not been well documented. In this study, we developed a two‐dimensional, steady‐state groundwater flow model for a representative Iowa agricultural watershed to simulate the impact of tile drainage density and incision depth on groundwater travel times and proportion of baseflow contributed by tile drains. Varying tile drainage density from 0 to 0.0038 m^?1, while maintaining a constant tile incision depth at 1.2 m, resulted in the mean groundwater travel time to decrease exponentially from 40 years to 19 years and increased the tile contribution to baseflow from 0% to an upper bound of 37%. In contrast, varying tile depths from 0.3 to 2.7 m, while maintaining a constant tile drainage density of 0.0038 m^?1, caused mean travel times to decrease linearly from 22 to 18 years and increased the tile contribution to baseflow from 30% to 54% in a near‐linear manner. The decrease in the mean travel time was attributed to decrease in the saturated thickness of the aquifer with increasing drainage density and incision depth. Study results indicate that tile drainage affects fundamental watershed characteristics and should be taken into consideration when evaluating water and nitrate export from agricultural regions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GIS‐based modelling of soil erosion processes using the modified‐MMF (MMMF) model in a large watershed having vast agro‐climatological differences

The present study demonstrates a spatially distributed application of a field‐scale annual soil loss model, the modified‐MMF (MMMF), to a large watershed using hydrological routing techniques, remote sensing data and geospatial technologies. In this study, the MMMF model is implemented after incorporating the corrections suggested in recent literature along with appropriate modifications of the model to suit the agro‐climatological conditions prevailing in most parts of India. Sensitivity analysis carried out through an Average Linear Sensitivity approach indicates that the model outputs are highly sensitive to soil moisture (MS), bulk density (BD), effective hydraulic depth (EHD), ground cover (GC) and settling velocity for clay (VS_c). During calibration and validation, the performance evaluation statistics are mostly in the range of very good to satisfactory for both runoff and soil loss at the watershed outlet. Even spatial validation of the results of intermediate processes in the water phase and the sediment phase, although qualitative, seems to be reasonable and rational. Furthermore, the soil erosion severity analysis for different land‐uses existing in the watershed indicates that about 90% of the watershed area, especially that occupied by agricultural lands, is vulnerable to the long‐term effects of soil erosion. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of long-term and short-term uplift rates along an active blind reverse fault zone (Bajo Segura,Se Spain)

The seismic activity of the Guardamar-Torrevieja zone (Eastern Betic Cordillera, SE Spain) can be associated with the Bajo Segura fault zone, an E-W reverse blind fault with secondary NW-SE dextral faults. A high-precision levelling profile 30 kilometers long was set up and levelled in 1997 to monitor the vertical displacement of this active fault zone. This profile runs parallel to an older high-precision levelling line included in the Spanish first order levelling network measured by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) in two different campaigns (1934 and 1976). The 1997 line was relevelled in 2003 and 10 new benchmarks were set up, both to increase benchmark density and to restore some of the 1997 benchmarks that had been destroyed. We have used the 1976 IGN and the 2003 measurement to construct a recent vertical movements profile with a significant time difference (27 years). This recent vertical movements profile shows that the vertical movements are very small, nearly equal to the error bars, with a 0.2 mm/year rise in the town of Guardamar, and a 0.2 mm/year subsidence of the southern part of the profile (Punta Prima) respect to the town of Torrevieja. These movements could be related to the activity of the Bajo Segura and the San Miguel faults respectively. Using geological markers we have deduced uplift rates of 0.1 mm/year during the last 3 million years. Therefore, these preliminary results indicate that geodetically (short-term deformation) determined uplift rates are similar to those estimated from geological markers (long term deformation).     

Variability of particulate (SS,POC) and dissolved (DOC,NO3) matter during storm events in the Alegria agricultural watershed

The temporal variability of suspended sediment, nitrates (NO₃) and dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon concentrations was analysed in the Alegria agricultural watershed over a 2‐year period. Nine storm events were studied, including an exhaustive analysis of hydrometeorological conditions, quantification of fluxes, and concentration‐discharge hysteresis loop characterization. The overall aim was to study the variability in these components during storm events and determine the mechanisms (flow paths) affecting the trajectories, from the source to the stream. The forms, rotational patterns and trends of hysteretic loops were investigated, and relationships between hysteresis features and hydrological parameters were studied. The results revealed clear differences between particulate (suspended sediment, particulate organic carbon) and dissolved (DOC, NO₃) matter transport responses. Movement of the particulate matter was attributed to surface water, as reflected in clockwise hysteresis loops, whereas dissolved matter showed, in general, counterclockwise hysteresis loops, indicating a time delay in the arrival of solutes to the stream. This could be related to subsurface flow paths for DOC and a groundwater source for NO₃. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of water‐use policies for baseflow recovery during droughts in an agricultural intensive karst watershed: Case study of the lower Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin,southeastern United States

The lower Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin in the Southeast United States represents a major agricultural area underlain by the highly productive karstic Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA). During El Niño Southern Oscillation‐induced droughts, intense groundwater withdrawal for irrigation lowers streamflow in the Flint River due to its hydraulic connectivity with the UFA and threatens the habitat of the federally listed and endangered aquatic biota. This study assessed the compounding hydrologic effects of increased irrigation pumping during drought years (2010–2012) on stream–aquifer water exchange (stream–aquifer flux) between the Flint River and UFA using the United States Geological Survey modular finite element groundwater flow model. Principal component and K‐means clustering analyses were used to identify critical stream reaches and tributaries that are adversely affected by irrigation pumping. Additionally, the effectiveness of possible water restriction scenarios on stream–aquifer flux was also analysed. Moreover, a cost–benefit analysis of acreage buyout procedure was conducted for various water restriction scenarios. Results indicate that increased groundwater withdrawal in Water Year 2011 decreased baseflow in the lower Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin, particularly, in Spring Creek, where irrigation pumping during April, June, and July changed the creek condition from a gaining to losing stream. Results from sensitivity analysis and simulated water restrictions suggest that reducing pumping in selected sensitive areas is more effective in streamflow recovery (approximately 78%) than is reducing irrigation intensity by a prescribed percentage of current pumping rates, such as 15% or 30%, throughout the basin. Moreover, analysis of acreage buyout indicates that restrictions on irrigation withdrawal can have significant impacts on stream–aquifer flux in the Basin, especially in critical watersheds such as Spring and Ichawaynochaway Creeks. The proposed procedure for ranking of stream reaches (sensitivity analysis) in this study can be replicated in other study areas/models. This study provides useful information to policymakers for devising alternate irrigation water withdrawal policies during droughts for maintaining flow levels in the study area.     

On the interest of using the multiple center approach in ESR dating of optically bleached quartz grains: Some examples from the Early Pleistocene terraces of the Alcanadre River (Ebro basin,Spain)

The present work reports the first numerical ages obtained for the two highest fluvial terraces (Qt1 and Qt2) of the Alcanadre River system (Northeastern Spain) representing the earliest remnants of Quaternary morphosedimentary fluvial activity in the Ebro basin. ESR dating method was applied to optically bleached quartz grains and both the Al and Ti centers were measured, in accordance with the Multiple Center approach. The results are overall in good agreement with the existing preliminary chronostratigraphic framework and our interpretation indicate that terraces Qt1 and Qt2 have an ESR age of 1276 ± 104 ka and 817 ± 68 ka, respectively. These data provide some chronological insights on the beginning of the fluvial sedimentary processes in a scenario of incision maintained over Quaternary in the Ebro Basin. These are among the first numerical ages obtained for such high terraces in the Iberian Peninsula.Our results demonstrate the interest of using the Multiple Center approach in ESR dating of quartz, since the two centers provide complementary information, i.e. an independent dose control. The overall apparent consistency between the ESR age estimates and the existing preliminary chronostratigraphic framework may be considered as an empirical evidence that the Ti–Li center may actually work for Early Pleistocene deposits, whereas the Ti–H center shows some clear limitations instead. Finally, these results demonstrate the interest of using ESR method to date Early Pleistocene fluvial terraces that are usually beyond the time range covered by the OSL dating method.     

Occurrence of an Algal Mass Development in an Acidic (pH 2.5):, Iron and Aluminium‐rich Coal Mining Pond

A bloom of Chlamydomonas botryopara was observed in an extremely acid coal mining pond (pH 2.5) with high concentrations of iron and aluminium (1160...3760 mg L^–1 Fe, 133...387 mg L^–1 Al). Cell density of algae was counted as 6.45 · 10⁶ mL^–1 corresponding to 700 mg L^–1 fresh weight and 2660 μg L^–1 chlorophyll‐a. The nutrient concentrations were 3.5 mg L^–1 soluble reactive phosphorus and 0.15 mg L^–1 dissolved inorganic nitrogen. This observation supports the hypothesis that a low nutrient availability rather than extreme conditions (e.g. high acidity and low pH) limit the development of phytoplankton in many acidified lakes.     

Application and evaluation of a snowmelt runoff model in the Tamor River basin,Eastern Himalaya using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) data assimilation approach

Previous studies have drawn attention to substantial hydrological changes taking place in mountainous watersheds where hydrology is dominated by cryospheric processes. Modelling is an important tool for understanding these changes but is particularly challenging in mountainous terrain owing to scarcity of ground observations and uncertainty of model parameters across space and time. This study utilizes a Markov Chain Monte Carlo data assimilation approach to examine and evaluate the performance of a conceptual, degree‐day snowmelt runoff model applied in the Tamor River basin in the eastern Nepalese Himalaya. The snowmelt runoff model is calibrated using daily streamflow from 2002 to 2006 with fairly high accuracy (average Nash–Sutcliffe metric ~0.84, annual volume bias < 3%). The Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach constrains the parameters to which the model is most sensitive (e.g. lapse rate and recession coefficient) and maximizes model fit and performance. Model simulated streamflow using an interpolated precipitation data set decreases the fractional contribution from rainfall compared with simulations using observed station precipitation. The average snowmelt contribution to total runoff in the Tamor River basin for the 2002–2006 period is estimated to be 29.7 ± 2.9% (which includes 4.2 ± 0.9% from snowfall that promptly melts), whereas 70.3 ± 2.6% is attributed to contributions from rainfall. On average, the elevation zone in the 4000–5500 m range contributes the most to basin runoff, averaging 56.9 ± 3.6% of all snowmelt input and 28.9 ± 1.1% of all rainfall input to runoff. Model simulated streamflow using an interpolated precipitation data set decreases the fractional contribution from rainfall versus snowmelt compared with simulations using observed station precipitation. Model experiments indicate that the hydrograph itself does not constrain estimates of snowmelt versus rainfall contributions to total outflow but that this derives from the degree‐day melting model. Lastly, we demonstrate that the data assimilation approach is useful for quantifying and reducing uncertainty related to model parameters and thus provides uncertainty bounds on snowmelt and rainfall contributions in such mountainous watersheds. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.