Study of radium content and radon exhalation rates in soil samples of northern India

Radon is a radioactive hazardous and ubiquitous gas. It has been recognized to be one of the major contributors to natural radiation even causing lung cancer if present at enhanced levels. There are large variations in data available in the literature for radium content and radon exhalation rates of various materials. It is a well-documented fact that radon exhalation from the ground surface depends upon a number of parameters such as soil grain size, soil porosity and radium content. For this purpose, in this study the so-called can technique has been used to measure radium content and exhalation rates of radon in soil samples collected from different places of Aligarh, Etah and Mathura districts of Uttar Pradesh??a province in northern India. These districts lie within the subtropical region of the Indo-Gangetic plains. The values of effective radium content are found to vary from 8.11 to 112.83?Bq?kg^?1 with a mean value of 33.21?Bq?kg^?1 and a standard deviation of 28.15. The values of mass exhalation rates of radon vary from 0.76?×?10^?6 to 15.80?×?10^?6?Bq?kg^?1?day^?1 with a mean value of 4.21?×?10^?6?Bq?kg^?1?day^?1, while the surface exhalation rates vary from 1.97?×?10^?5 to 41.03?×?10^?5?Bq?m^?2?day^?1 with a mean value of 10.93?×?10^?5?Bq?m^?2?day^?1.     

Cosmogenic radionuclide <Superscript>7</Superscript>Be concentration in seven species of lichens and its correlation with <Superscript>40</Superscript>K, <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs and <Superscript>226</Superscript>Ra

In this work, accumulation of cosmogenic radionuclide ⁷Be in seven species of lichens was determined using HPGe detectors in autumn season. Ramsar city which is located in the north of Iran as one of the high-level natural radiation areas in the world was considered. Lichen species represented good potential in accumulation of ⁷Be radionuclide. The foliose species of Xanthoria parietina with the highest activity concentration value of 112.8 ± 1.8 Bq kg^?1 was introduced as bioindicator for accumulation of ⁷Be radionuclide. Cladonia rangiformis species has got minimum concentration of 64.5 ± 0.8 Bq kg^?1. Also from thallus morphology viewpoint, results showed that ⁷Be accumulation in foliose species is higher than in fruticose and crustose lichens species. Also there was relatively large positive correlation between ⁷Be and ²²⁶Ra activity concentrations in lichens species.     

Investigation of RS and GIS techniques on MPSIAC model to estimate soil erosion

Soil erosion due to surface water is a standout among the serious threat land degradation problem and an hazard environmental destruction. The first stage for every kind of soil conservation planning is recognition of soil erosion status. In this research, the usability of two new techniques remote sensing and geographical information system was assessed to estimate the average annual specific sediments production and the intensity erosion map at two sub-basins of DEZ watershed, southwest of Lorestan Province, Iran, namely Absorkh and Keshvar sub-basins with 19,920 ha, using Modified Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Committee (MPSIAC) soil erosion model. At the stage of imagery data processing of IRS-P6 satellite, the result showed that an overall accuracy and kappa coefficient were 90.3% and 0.901, respectively, which were considered acceptable or good for imagery data. According to our investigation, the study area can be categorized into three level of severity of erosion: moderate, high, and very high erosion zones. The amount of specific sediments and soil erosion predicted by MPSIAC model was 1374.656 and 2396.574 m³ km^?2 year^?1, respectively. The areas situated at the center and south parts of the watershed were subjected to significant erosion because of the geology formation and ground cover, while the area at the north parts was relatively less eroded due to intensive land cover. Based on effective of nine factors, the driving factors from high to low impact included: Topography > Land use > Upland erosion > Channel erosion > Climate > Ground cover > Soil > Runoff > Surface geology. The measured sediment yield of the watershed in the hydrometric station (Keshvar station) was approximately 2223.178 m³ km^?2 year^?1 and comparison of the amount of total sediment yield predicted by model with the measured sediment yield indicated that the MPSIAC model 38% underestimated the observed value of the watershed.     

Study of soil gas radon variations in the tectonically active Dharamshala and Chamba regions,Himachal Pradesh,India

Soil gas radon measurements were made in Chamba and Dharamshala regions of Himachal Pradesh, India, to study the correlation, if any, between the soil gas radon, radium activity concentration of soil, and the geology/active tectonics of the study region. Soil gas radon surveys were conducted around the local fault zones to check their tectonic activities using the soil gas technique. Soil gas radon activity concentration at thirty-five different locations in Dharamshala region has been found to be varying from 13.2 ± 1.5 to 110.8 ± 5.0 kBq m^?3 with a geometrical mean of 35.9 kBq m^?3 and geometrical standard deviation of 1.8. Radon activity concentration observed in the thirty-seven soil gas samples collected from the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh varies from 5.2 ± 1.0 to 35.6 ± 2.5 kBq m^?3, with geometrical mean of 15.8 kBq m^?3 and geometrical standard deviation of 1.6. Average radium activity concentrations in thirty-four soil samples collected from different geological formations of Dharamshala region and Chamba region are found to be 40.4 ± 17 and 38.6 ± 1.7 Bq kg^?1, respectively. It has been observed that soil gas radon activity concentration has a wide range of variation in both Dharamshala and Chamba regions, while radium activity concentrations in soil samples are more or less same in both the regions. Moreover, soil gas radon activity concentration has a better positive correlation with the radium activity concentration in soil samples collected from Chamba region as compared to Dharamshala region.     

Spatial distribution mapping and radiological hazard assessment of groundwater and soil gas radon in Ekiti State,Southwest Nigeria

Groundwater constitutes the major source of utility water in Ekiti State with the majority of the population depending on groundwater for drinking and other household uses. Soil in the area is commonly used as a component of building materials, which may produce radon in the indoor environment. Excessive concentrations of radon in water and soil can cause radiological health risks to human as witnessed by the increased cases of lung cancer among non-smokers in Nigeria, which may be traceable to the ingestion and inhalation ²²²Rn in drinking water and indoor air. In the present study, comparative in situ measurements of radon in groundwater and soil gas were carried out at one hundred selected locations across the Ekiti State in southwest Nigeria, using a RAD7 radon detector to generate a radon distribution map and to estimate radiation hazards due to radon. The concentrations of radon in groundwater ranged from 0.9 to 472 Bq L^?1 with a mean of 34.7?±?4.4 Bq L^?1, while those of soil gas ranged from 0.1 to 315 kBq L^?1 with a mean of 38.9?±?1.4 kBq L^?1. The total annual effective dose due to inhalation and ingestion of radon in groundwater amounted to 94.7 µSv year^?1, which is lower than the reference dose of 100 µSv year^?1 recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The radon map generated for groundwater and soil gas identified three distinct areas with radon levels ranging from low to high. The results of this study show that some locations (Emure, Gbonyin, Ijero and Ikole) show mean total annual effective doses which are higher than the recommended limit. It can then be inferred that the groundwater samples pose significant radiological hazards to the population and that the noticed increase in lung cancer cases may be attributed to the consumption of groundwater in the area.     

Geospatial assessment of soil erosion intensity and sediment yield: a case study of Potohar Region,Pakistan

Estimation of spatial extent of soil erosion, one of the most serious forms of land degradation, is critical because soil erosion has serious implications on soil fertility, water ecosystem, crop productivity and landscape beauty. The primary objective of the current study was to assess and map the soil erosion intensity and sedimentation yield of Potohar region of Pakistan. Potohar is the rainfed region with truncated and complex topography lying at the top of the Indus Basin, the world’s largest irrigation networks of canals and barrages. Spatially explicit Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) Model integrated with Remote Sensing-GIS techniques was used for detecting/mapping of erosion prone areas and quantification of soil losses. The results show that the Potohar region is highly susceptible to soil erosion with an average annual soil loss of 19 tons ha^?1 year^?1 of which the maximum erosion (70–208 tons ha^?1 year^?1) was near the river channels and hilly areas. The sediment yield due to the erosion is as high as 148 tons ha^?1 year^?1 with an average of 4.3 tons ha^?1 year^?1. It was found that 2.06% of the total area falls under severe soil erosion, 13.34% under high erosion, 15.35% under moderate soil erosion while 69.25% of the area lies in the low (tolerable) soil erosion. Chakwal and Jhelum districts of the region are seriously affected by erosion owing to their topography and soil properties. The information generated in this study is a step forward towards proper planning and implementation of strategies to control the erosion and for protection of natural resources. It is, hence, necessary that suitable water harvesting structures be made to control water to prevent soil erosion and provision of water in the lean season in this region. Tree plantation and other erosion control practices such as strip cropping can also minimize soil erosion in this region.     

Organic carbon stocks and erosion in the soils of Guangdong,South China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and erosion in South China at the regional scale in the past decades remains far from being understood. This paper calculated the SOC density, storage and erosion in 14 soil classes in Guangdong Province, South China, based on statistical data from the soil survey and soil erosion survey of Guangdong, which was performed in the 1990s. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationships between soil classes and SOC erosion at the regional scale. The results indicated that the SOC density in the soils of Guangdong varied from 12.7 to 144.9 Mg ha^?1 over the entire profile and from 12.6 to 68.4 Mg ha^?1 in the top 20-cm soil layer. The average area-weighted SOC density in the topsoil (0–20 cm) and the entire profile was 32 ± 3 and 86 ± 4 Mg ha^?1, respectively. The total SOC storage was 1.27 ± 0.06 Pg, with 35.6 % (0.46 ± 0.04 Pg) located in the topsoil. The average area-weighted strength of the SOC erosion in the 1990s was 20.6 ± 0.8 Mg km^?2 year^?1. The results indicated that SOC erosion was strongly related to soil class.     

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Submerged Macrophytes in Three Hydrologically Altered Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons

Rice cultivation in the Ebro Delta (Catalonia, Spain) has inverted the natural hydrological cycles of coastal lagoons and decreased water salinities for over 150 years. Adjustments in the water management practices—in terms of source and amount of freshwater inputs—have resulted in changes in the diversity, distribution and productivity of submerged angiosperms. Between the 1970s and late 1980s, a massive decline of the aquatic vegetation occurred in the Encanyissada–Clot and Tancada lagoons, but little information on the status is available after the recovery of macrophytes in the 1990s. Here, we evaluate the influence of salinity regimes resulting from current water management practices on the composition, distribution, seasonal abundance and flowering rates of submersed macrophytes, as well as on the occurrence of epiphyte and drift macroalgae blooms in three coastal lagoons. Our results show that Ruppia cirrhosa is the dominant species in the Encanyissada lagoon (185.97?±?29.74 g?DW?m^?2?year^?1; 12–27?‰ salinity) and the only plant species found in the Tancada lagoon (53.26?±?10.94 g?DW?m²?year^?1; 16–28?‰ salinity). Flowering of R. cirrhosa (up to 1,011?±?121 flowers?m^?2) was only observed within the Encanyissada and suggests that mesohaline summer conditions may favor these events. In contrast, low salinities in Clot lagoon (～3–12?‰) favor the development of Potamogeton pectinatus (130.53?±?13.79 g?DW?m²?year^?1) with intersperse R. cirrhosa (8.58?±?1.71 g?DW?m^?2) and mixed stands of P. pectinatus and Najas marina (up to ～57 g?DW?m^?2?year^?1) in some reduced areas. The peak biomasses observed during the study are 88 to 95 % lower than maximum values reported in the literature at similar salinities, and there is also little or no recovery in some areas compared to last reports more than 20 years ago. The main management actions to restore the natural diversity and productivity of submersed angiosperms, such as the recovering of the seagrass Zostera noltii, should be the increase of salinity during the period of rice cultivation, by reducing freshwater inputs and increasing flushing connections with the bays.     

Determination of 137Cs activities in surface sediments and derived sediment accumulation rates in Thessaloniki Gulf, Greece

Surficial and core samples collected from the eastern Thessaloniki Gulf, located in the NW Aegean Sea, were analyzed for their sedimentation rate and inventories of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb. The study of the spatial radionuclide dispersion in the specific region is essential for the assessment of marine pollution levels. The sedimentation rates were calculated from the vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs and excess ²¹⁰Pb in the sediment cores. The spatial distribution of ¹³⁷Cs was studied with respect to sediment characteristics such as the grain size of the sample and the organic carbon content. The activity concentrations were measured by means of gamma ray spectrometry using HPGe detector for ¹³⁷Cs and gross alpha counting using alpha counter for ²¹⁰Pb. The average sedimentation rate along the sediment cores is characterized by a consistent pattern and varies from 0.18?±?0.02 to 0.22?±?0.03?cm?year^?1. The ¹³⁷Cs inventories varied from 205?±?15 to 602?±?39?Bq?m^?2, while the ²¹⁰Pb inventories of the studied cores exhibited average value of 140?±?9?Bq?m^?2. Elevated ¹³⁷Cs activities were observed compared to certain Mediterranean marine areas; however, they were lower than the reported values in the Black Sea.     

Radon distributions in the Hail Region of Northern Saudi Arabia

Indoor radon measurements were carried out in a total of 420 dwellings and 17 schools in Hail region of Saudi Arabia, using NTDs based radon dosimeters. The duration of the measurements was one year, from April 2008 to April 2009. The indoor radon concentrations varied from 4 to 513 Bq/m³ with an overall average of 45 Bq/m³ for all surveyed dwellings. These passive measurements were confirmed by the active measurements. The anomalous concentrations above 200 Bq/m³ were observed in 13 dwellings, representing 3.1 % of the total surveyed dwellings. In Inbowan village alone, it was found that 7.6 % of the dwellings have indoor radon concentration above 200 Bq/m³. The highest average indoor radon concentration of 64 Bq/m³ was found in Inbowan village while the lowest average of 24 Bq/m³ was found in Majasah village. The city of Hail showed an average indoor radon concentration of 49 Bq/m³. The average indoor radon concentration in one area located at the edge of the Aja Mountain in Hail city was 111 Bq/m³. The elevated indoor radon concentrations in many dwellings in the Hail region, prompted us to measure outdoor ground radon in such locations using gas monitor. It was found that radon concentrations at a depth of 0.5 m varied significantly from place to place ranging from 1.2 to 177 kBq/m³. The outdoor radon concentrations are generally correlated with the indoor radon measurements. Radon exhalations from construction materials and soil samples from the Hail region were also measured. It was found that radon exhalations from soil samples are higher than that of construction materials by a factor of at least 3 and reaching up to 11. These results indicate that soil is the main source of indoor radon. Geological interpretations of the results are also given.     

Wood chips as soil conservation in field conditions

The soil conditioner in processes of soil conservation is important especially in heavily eroded areas. Because in this study done in Educational and Research Forest Watershed of Tarbiat Modares University, north of Iran, the experiments created four treatments of control and different wood chips with rates of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2, by rainfall simulation in rainfall intensity of 60 mm h^?1, and plot scale of 1 m² on changing ponding time, runoff coefficient, sediment concentration, and soil loss. The results showed that the average change ponding time in control treatment and wood chip treatments with rates of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2 were 4.25, 7.48, 11.63, and 12.45 min. Also, the average change runoff coefficient in control treatment and wood chip treatments with rates of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2 were 50.03, 26.27, 15.28, and 13.17 %. The results also indicated that the wood chips could decrease average soil loss with the rates of ?52.15, ?82.18, and ?89.35 % compared with control treatment for 0.5, 1, and 1.5 kg m^?2 of wood chips, respectively. The one-way ANOVA results showed that the runoff coefficient, sediment concentration, and soil loss decreased with increasing wood chip amount, and the effect of conservation treatment was significant on study variables (R ² = 0.99). But, the ponding time increased with increasing wood chip amount, and this effect was significant on study variables (R ² = 0.99).     

Integration of geospatial technologies with RUSLE for analysis of land use/cover change impact on soil erosion: case study in Rib watershed,north-western highland Ethiopia

In recent times, soil erosion interlocked with land use and land cover (LULC) changes has become one of the most important environmental issues in developing countries. Evaluation of this complex interaction between LULC change and soil erosion is indispensable in land use planning and conservation works. This paper analysed the impact of LULC change on soil erosion in the north-western highland Ethiopia over the period 1986–2016. Rib watershed, the area with dynamic LULC change and severe soil erosion problem, was selected as a case study site. Integrated approach that combined geospatial technologies with revised universal soil loss equation model was utilized to evaluate the spatio-temporal dynamics of soil loss over the study period. Pixel-based overlay of soil erosion intensity maps with LULC maps was carried out to understand the change in soil loss due to LULC change. Results showed that the annual soil loss in the study area varied from 0 to 236.5 t ha^?1 year^?1 (tons per hectare per year) in 1986 and 0–807 t ha^?1 year^?1 in 2016. The average annual soil loss for the entire watershed was estimated about 40 t ha^?1 year^?1 in 1986 comparing with 68 t ha^?1 year^?1 in 2016, a formidable increase. Soil erosion potential that was estimated to exceed the average soil loss tolerance level increased from 34.5% in 1986 to 66.8% in 2016. Expansion of agricultural land at the expense of grassland and shrubland was the most detrimental factor for severe soil erosion in the watershed. The most noticeable change in soil erosion intensity was observed from cropland with mean annual soil loss amount increased to 41.38 t ha^?1 year^?1 in 2016 from 26.60 in 1986. Moreover, the most successive erosion problems were detected in eastern, south-eastern and northern parts of the watershed. Therefore, the results of this study can help identify the soil erosion hot spots and conservation priority areas at local and regional levels.     

Aerosol-trace gases interactions and their role in air quality control of Delhi city (India)

Atmospheric dust is considered to be the major cause of poor air quality due to its contribution to high particulate levels, but their interaction with the acidic gases helps in controlling the level of SO₂ and NO₂ through ambient neutralization reactions. In the present study, the interaction of acidic gases such as SO₂ and NO₂ with alkaline dust was investigated during October, 2013–July, 2014 at a site named as Babarpur located at the Trans-Yamuna region of Delhi. The concentration of SO₂ ranged from 10 to 170 μg/m³ with an average of 36 μg/m³ while that of NO₂ ranged from 15 to 54 μg/m³ with an average of 26?±?8 μg/m³. The results were observed to be well within the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The average concentrations of SO₂ during day and night time were recorded as 31?±?18 and 43?±?53 μg/m³ respectively while the mean concentrations of NO₂ during day and night time were recorded as 26?±?7 and 27?±?12 μg/m³ respectively. A positive correlation between SO₄^2? and NO₃^? was also observed indicating their secondary aerosol formation. In aerosol phase, average concentrations of SO₄^2? during day and night time were 3.9?±?0.3 and 6.5?±?2.3 μg/m³ respectively while that of NO₃^? were 9.5?±?1.5 and 7.3?±?0.5 μg/m³ respectively. Molar ratios of Ca²⁺/SO₄^2?, NH₄⁺/SO₄^2?, and NH₄⁺/NO₃^? were observed as 8, 5, and 1.7 during daytime and 1.5, 0.4, and 0.8 during nighttime respectively. Such molar ratios confirmed high concentrations of sulphate (SO₄)^2? and low concentrations of nitrate (NO₃^?) during night time, thereby indicating different pathway of aerosol formation during day and night time. Surface morphology and elemental composition of aerosol samples showed various oval, globular, and platy shapes where the diameter varied from few nm to ~5 μm depending on their precursors. There were certain shapes like grossularite, irregular aggregate, grape-like, triangular, and flattened which indicate the crustal origin of aerosols and their possible role in SO₂ and NO₂ adsorption.     

Dynamics of carbon fluxes with responses to vegetation,meteorological and terrain factors in the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau

Tibetan Plateau (TP) is the highest and most extensive plateau in the world and has been known as the roof of the world, and it is sensitive to climate change. The researches of CO₂ fluxes (F _C) in the TP region play a significant role in understanding regional and global carbon balance and climate change. Eddy covariance flux measurements were conducted at three sites of south-eastern TP comprising Dali (DL, cropland ecosystem), LinZhi (LZ, alpine meadow ecosystem) and Wenjiang (WJ, cropland ecosystem); amongst those DL and LZ are located in plateau region, while WJ is in plain region. Dynamics of F _C and influences of vegetation, meteorological (air temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, soil temperature and soil water content) and terrain factors (altitude) were analysed on the basis of data taken during 2008. The results showed that, in the cool sub-season (March, April, October and December), carbon sink appeared even in December with fluxes of (?0.021 to ?0.05) mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 and carbon source only in October (0.03 ± 0.0048) mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 in DL and WJ site. In LZ site, carbon sink was observed in April: (?0.036 ± 0.0023) mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 and carbon sources in December and March (0.008–0.010 mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1). In the hot sub-season (May–August), carbon source was observed only in May with (0.011 ± 0.0022), (0.104 ± 0.0029) and (0.036 ± 0.0017) fluxes in LZ, DL and WJ site, respectively, while carbon sinks with (?0.021 ± 0.0041), (?0.213 ± 0.0007) and (?0.110 ± 0.0015) mg CO₂ m^?2 s^?1 fluxes in LZ, DL, and WJ, respectively. Comparing with plain region (WJ), carbon sinks in plateau region (DL and LZ) lasted for a longer time, and the absorption sum was large and up to (–357.718 ± 0.0054) and (?371.111 ± 0.0039) g C m^?2 year^?1, respectively. The LZ site had the weakest carbon sink with (?178.547 ± 0.0070) g C m^?2 year^?1. Multivariate analysis of covariance showed that altitude (AL) as an independent factor explained 39.5 % of F _C (P < 0.026). F _C had a quadratic relationship with Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (R ² ranges from 0.485 to 0.640 for three sites), an exponential relationship with soil temperature at 5-cm depth (ST ₅) at night time and a quadratic relationship with air temperature (T _a) at day time. Path analysis indicated that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), sensible heat fluxes (H) and other factors all had direct or indirect effects on F _C in all of the three tested sites around the south-eastern TP.     

Unprecedented rates of landslide and surface erosion along a newly constructed road in Yunnan, China

Field measurements conducted 4 years after the construction of a new portion of the Weixi?CShangri-La road in Yunnan, China, reveal that unprecedented rates of mass wasting occurred along the road with much of this sediment directly impacting the headwaters of the Mekong River. Landslide erosion (including dry ravel) exceeded 33,000 t ha^?1 year^?1 along the most severely eroded sections of the road and averaged more than 9,600 t ha^?1 year^?1 along the surveyed 23.5 km of road; these values are the highest ever reported for road-related landslides. While surface erosion was only about 7% of the total erosion from the road, it is still more than an order of magnitude higher than typical surface erosion rates from disturbed lands in Southeast Asia. Combined landslide and surface erosion from this road delivered an estimated 19 times more sediment to the river than the remaining 99.6% of the contributing catchment. These sediment inputs are aggrading local channels, promoting downstream sediment transport, degrading aquatic habitat, and creating the possibility for a future debris flood or hyperconcentrated flow.     

Assessing Nitrogen Dynamics Throughout the Estuarine Landscape

Assessing nitrogen dynamics in the estuarine landscape is challenging given the unique effects of individual habitats on nitrogen dynamics. We measured net N₂ fluxes, sediment oxygen demand, and fluxes of ammonium and nitrate seasonally from five major estuarine habitats: salt marshes, seagrass beds (SAV), oyster reefs, and intertidal and subtidal flats. Net N₂ fluxes ranged from 332?±?116 μmol?N-N₂?m^?2?h^?1 from oyster reef sediments in the summer to ?67?±?4 μmol?N-N₂?m^?2?h^?1 from SAV in the winter. Oyster reef sediments had the highest rate of N₂ production of all habitats. Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) was measured during the summer and winter. DNRA was low during the winter and ranged from 4.5?±?3.0 in subtidal flats to 104?±?34 μmol?¹⁵NH ₄ ⁺ ?m^?2?h^?1 in oyster reefs during the summer. Annual denitrification, accounting for seasonal differences in inundation and light, ranged from 161.1?±?19.2 mmol?N-N₂?m^?2?year^?1 for marsh sediments to 509.9?±?122.7 mmol?N-N₂?m^?2?year^?1 for SAV sediments. Given the current habitat distribution in our study system, an estimated 28.3?×?10⁶?mol of N are removed per year or 76 % of estimated watershed nitrogen load. These results indicate that changes in the area and distribution of habitats in the estuarine landscape will impact ecosystem function and services.     

Runout and entrainment analysis of an extremely large rock avalanche—a case study of Yigong,Tibet, China

An extremely large rock avalanche occurred on April 9, 2000 at Yigong, Tibet, China. It started with an initial volume of material of 90?×?10⁶ m³ comprising mainly of loose material lying on the channel bed. The rock avalanche travelled around 10 km in horizontal distance and formed a 2.5-km-long by 2.5-km-wide depositional fan with a final volume of approximately 300?×?10⁶ m³. An energy-based debris flow runout model is used to simulate the movement process with a new entrainment model. The entrainment model considers both rolling and sliding motions in calculating the volume of eroded material. Entrainment calculation is governed by a second order partial differential equation which is solved using the finite difference method. During entrainment, it is considered that the total mass is changed due to basal erosion. Also the profile of the channel bed is adjusted accordingly due to erosion at the end of each calculation time step. For Yigong, the profile used in the simulation was extracted from a digital elevation model (DEM) with a resolution of 30 m?×?30 m. Measurements obtained from site investigation, including deposition depth and flow height at specific location, are used to verify the model. Ground elevation-based DEM before and after the event is also used to verify the simulation results where access was difficult. It is found that the calculated runout distance and the modified deposition height agree with the field observations. Moreover, the back-calculated flow characteristics based on field observations, such as flow velocity, are also used for model verifications. The results indicate that the new entrainment model is able to capture the entrainment volume and depth, runout distance, and deposition height for this case.     

Variability in Concentrations and Fluxes of Methane in the Indian Estuaries

In order to examine the fluxes of methane (CH₄) from the Indian estuaries, measurements were carried out by collecting samples from 26 estuaries along the Indian coast during high discharge (wet) and low water discharge (dry) periods. The CH₄ concentrations in the estuaries located along the west coast of India were significantly higher (113?±?40 nM) compared to the east coast of India (27?±?6 nM) during wet and dry periods (88?±?15 and 63?±?12 nM, respectively). Supersaturation of CH₄ was observed in the Indian estuaries during both periods ((0.18 to 22.3?×?10³ %). The concentrations of CH₄ showed inverse relation with salinity indicating that freshwater is a significant source. Spatial variations in CH₄ saturation were associated with the organic matter load suggesting that its decomposition may be another source in the Indian estuaries. Fluxes of CH₄ ranged from 0.01 to 298 μmol m^?2 day^?1 (mean 13.4?±?5 μmol m^?2 day^?1) which is ~30 times lower compared to European estuaries (414 μmol m^?2 day^?1). The annual emission from Indian estuaries, including Pulicat and Adyar, amounted to 0.39?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1 with the surface area of 0.027?×?10⁶ km² which is significantly lower than that in European estuaries (2.7?±?6.8?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1 with the surface area of 0.03?×?10⁶ km²). This study suggests that Indian estuaries are a weak source for atmospheric CH₄ than European estuaries and such low fluxes were attributed to low residence time of water and low decomposition of organic matter within the estuary. The CH₄ fluxes from the Indian estuaries are higher than those from Indian mangroves (0.01?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1) but lower than those from Indian inland waters (210?×?10¹⁰ g CH₄?year^?1).     

Seasonal Oxygen Dynamics in a Warm Temperate Estuary: Effects of Hydrologic Variability on Measurements of Primary Production,Respiration, and Net Metabolism

Seasonal responses in estuarine metabolism (primary production, respiration, and net metabolism) were examined using two complementary approaches. Total ecosystem metabolism rates were calculated from dissolved oxygen time series using Odum’s open water method. Water column rates were calculated from oxygen-based bottle experiments. The study was conducted over a spring-summer season in the Pensacola Bay estuary at a shallow seagrass-dominated site and a deeper bare-bottomed site. Water column integrated gross production rates more than doubled (58.7 to 130.9 mmol O₂ m^?2 day^?1) from spring to summer, coinciding with a sharp increase in water column chlorophyll-a, and a decrease in surface salinity. As expected, ecosystem gross production rates were consistently higher than water column rates but showed a different spring-summer pattern, decreasing at the shoal site from 197 to 168 mmol O₂ m^?2 day^?1 and sharply increasing at the channel site from 93.4 to 197.4 mmol O₂ m^?2 day^?1. The consistency among approaches was evaluated by calculating residual metabolism rates (ecosystem ? water column). At the shoal site, residual gross production rates decreased from spring to summer from 176.8 to 99.1 mmol O₂ m^?2 day^?1 but were generally consistent with expectations for seagrass environments, indicating that the open water method captured both water column and benthic processes. However, at the channel site, where benthic production was strongly light-limited, residual gross production varied from 15.7 mmol O₂ m^?2 day^?1 in spring to 86.7 mmol O₂ m^?2 day^?1 in summer. The summer rates were much higher than could be realistically attributed to benthic processes and likely reflected a violation of the open water method due to water column stratification. While the use of sensors for estimating complex ecosystem processes holds promise for coastal monitoring programs, careful attention to the sampling design, and to the underlying assumptions of the methods, is critical for correctly interpreting the results. This study demonstrated how using a combination of approaches yielded a fuller understanding of the ecosystem response to hydrologic and seasonal variability.