How do streamflow generation mechanisms affect watershed hypsometry?

Several studies have shown that the dominant streamflow generation mechanism in a river basin can leave distinct geomorphological signatures in basin topography. In particular, it has been suggested previously that basins generated by groundwater discharge tend to have a larger hypsometric integral than surface runoff basins because fluvial erosion is more focused in the valleys where groundwater discharge tends to occur. In this analysis, we aim to clarify this relationship by developing an alternative method to quantify the effects of streamflow generation mechanisms on basin hypsometry and by using a numerical model that can generate streamflow by different processes to evaluate the sensitivity of the results to the hydrological and geomorphological properties of the basin. The model results suggest that the hypsometric characteristics that are usually associated with groundwater discharge basins, such as a larger hypsometric integral, occur primarily when drainage networks are still advancing in the watershed. During later stages of development, an additional factor such as lithological controls or a distinct geomorphological process would be needed to preserve these features. The model results also show that the hypsometric effects are stronger when the parameters of the fluvial erosion process promote the influence of small discharge rates. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physical mechanisms of plant roots affecting weathering and leaching of loess soil

Vegetation is an important factor in maintaining ecological balance and improving eco-environment. For improving environment, vegetation cover, as a substitute for the integrated action of stems and leaves, seems to be a crucial factor. However, recent st…     

A review of: “Review of mechanisms of continental drift and plate tectonics”

Abstract

Edited by P. A. Davies and S. K. Runcorn. Academic Press, 1980. 362 pp. (£32.00, $72.00) (ISBN 0 122061608)     

On correlation between seismic activities and focal mechanisms of subsequent strong earthquakes

Introduction Earthquakes are direct results from tectonic deformation and crustal movements, which usu- ally contain abundant information of crustal stress status and medium property in the deep lithosphere. Seismic activities might reflect accumulation and concentration of crustal stress in the seismogenic process. And different mechanisms of rock ruptures lead to different precursory phe- nomena prior to earthquakes (ZHANG, et al, 2001). Therefore, seismic activities before a strong earthq…     

The influencing factors and mechanisms of the electromagnetic radiation during rock fracture

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What makes flank eruptions? The 2001 Etna eruption and its possible triggering mechanisms

Most flank eruptions within a central stratovolcano are triggered by lateral draining of magma from its central conduit, and only few eruptions appear to be independent of the central conduit. In order to better highlight the dynamics of flank eruptions in a central stratovolcano, we review the eruptive history of Etna over the last 100 years. In particular, we take into consideration the Mount Etna eruption in 2001, which showed both summit activity and a flank eruption interpreted to be independent from the summit system. The eruption started with the emplacement of a ~N-S trending peripheral dike, responsible for the extrusion of 75% of the total volume of the erupted products. The rest of the magma was extruded through the summit conduit system (SE crater), feeding two radial dikes. The distribution of the seismicity and structures related to the propagation of the peripheral dike and volumetric considerations on the erupted magmas exclude a shallow connection between the summit and the peripheral magmatic systems during the eruption. Even though the summit and the peripheral magmatic systems were independent at shallow depths (<3 km b.s.l.), petro-chemical data suggest that a common magma rising from depth fed the two systems. This deep connection resulted in the extrusion of residual magma from the summit system and of new magma from the peripheral system. Gravitational stresses predominate at the surface, controlling the emplacement of the dikes radiating from the summit; conversely, regional tectonics, possibly related to N-S trending structures, remains the most likely factor to have controlled at depth the rise of magma feeding the peripheral eruption.     

Research on preservation and enrichment mechanisms of organic matter in muddy sediment and mudstone

Using multidiscipline methodologies, the differences in preservation and enrichment mechanisms of organic matter (OM) in muddy sediment and mudstone are investigated. In clay fractions, concentra- tions of TOC and chloroform bitumen “A” are significantly higher than those in coarser fractions. This indicates that clay minerals (CM) play an important role in enriching OM. The content of chloroform bitumen “A” increases obviously in the clay fraction, which reveals that dissolvable OM is the main composition of coalesce with clay minerals. Furthermore, TG and DTA data show that OM enrichment mechanisms and preservation forms have multiplicity. Several exothermic peaks in the DTA curves demonstrate that muddy sediment and mudstone contain a number of bioclasts and amorphous OM besides dissolvable OM. Through analyzing with XRD and DTA after mudstone samples were pretreated, the conclusions can be arrived at. Firstly, CM interlayer space of XRD curves and exothermic peaks of DTA curves both change as temperature increases. Secondly, the changes of CM interlayer space and exothermic peaks are concordant and stable around 350℃. All these are the features that OM enters CM interlayers to form stable organo-clay complexes. Therefore, the combination format of OM with CM is not only surface adsorption, partial OM enters CM interlayers to form stable organo-clay complexes. Finally, through the research on OM preservation forms and enrichment mechanisms in muddy sedi- ment and mudstone, the hydrocarbon-generation processes and the global carbon cycle and budget can be explained.     

Spatiotemporal variations of internal P-loading and the related mechanisms in the large shallow Lake Chaohu

Spatiotemporal variations of P species and adsorption behavior in water column, interstitial water, and sediments were investigated in the large shallow eutrophic Lake Chaohu. Ortho-phosphate (Ortho-P) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were significantly higher in the western part than in the eastern part of the lake, due to different nutrient inputs from the surrounding rivers. Moreover, paniculate phosphorus (PP) concentration was in a similar spatial pattern to Ortho-P and TP concentrations, and also showed significantly positive correlation with the biomass of Microcystis, indicating more uptake and store of phosphorus by Microcystis than by other algae. Increase of pH and intensive utilization of P by phytoplankton were the main factors promoting P (especially Fe-P) release from the sediment to interstitial water during the cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Chaohu. Spatial dynamics in TP concentration, P species and adsorption behavior of the sediment, coupled with the statistical analyses, suggested that the spatial heterogeneity of P contents in the sediment was influenced by various factors, e.g. human activities, soil geochemistry and mineral composition. In spite of similar TP contents in the sediments, increase in proportion of Fe-P concentration in the sediment may result in a high risk of P release.     

Evolution mechanisms of the intraseasonal oscillation associated with the Yangtze River Basin flood in 1998

Early in the1970s,Madden and Julian[1,2]first re-vealed the existence of eastward propagation of the intraseasonal(or30-60-day)oscillation(ISO)in the zonal wind fields over the tropics.Later on,the northward propagation of the ISO activities over the Indian Ocean was discovered by Yasunari[3,4],which accounts for the seasonal variations of the Indian summer monsoon.Similar studies were carried out on the low-frequency oscillation activities related to the ENSO and the East Asian summer …     

Biological mechanisms driving the seasonal changes in the internal loading of phosphorus in shallow lakes

Because of the obvious importance of P as a nutrient that often accelerates growth of phytoplankton (including toxic cyanobacteria) and therefore worsens water quality, much interest has been devoted to P exchange across the sediment-water interface. Generally, the release mode of P from the sediment differed greatly between shallow and deep lakes, and much of the effort has been focused on iron and oxygen, and also on the relevant environmental factors, for example, turbulence and decomposition, but a large part of the P variation in shallow lakes remains unexplained. This paper reviews experimental and field studies on the mechanisms of P release from the sediment in the shallow temperate (in Europe) and subtropical (in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China) lakes, and it is suggested that pH rather than DO might be more important in driving the seasonal dynamics of internal P loading in these shallow lakes, i.e., intense photosynthesis of phytoplankton increases pH of the lake water and thus may increase pH of the surface sediment, leading to enhanced release of P (especially iron-bound P) from the sediment. Based on the selective pump of P (but not N) from the sediment by algal blooms, it is concluded that photosynthesis which is closely related to eutrophication level is the driving force for the seasonal variation of internal P loading in shallow lakes. This is a new finding. Additionally, the selective pump of P from the sediment by algal blooms not only explains satisfactorily why both TP and PO4-P in the hypereutrophic Lake Donghu declined significantly since the mid-1980s when heavy cyanobacterial blooms were eliminated by the nontraditional biomanipulation (massive stocking of the filter-feeding silver and bighead carps), but also explains why TP in European lakes decreased remarkably in the spring clear-water phase with less phytoplankton during the seasonal succession of aquatic communities or when phytoplankton biomass was decreased by traditional biomanipulation. Compared with deep lakes, wax and wane of phytoplankton due to alternations in the ecosystem structure is also able to exert significant influences on the P exchange at the sediment-water interface in shallow lakes. In other words, biological activities are also able to drive P release from sediments, and such a static P release process is especially more prominent in eutrophic shallow lakes with dense phytoplankton.     

Geologic characteristics,controlling factors and hydrocarbon accumulation mechanisms of China’s Large Gas Provinces of low porosity and permeability

Based on the analysis of the geological characteristics and controlling factors, we analyzed the formation mechanism of different types of gas reservoirs. The main characteristics of gas provinces with low porosity and permeability are mainly as follows: large area, low abundance, small gas pools and large gas provinces; widely distributed excellent hydrocarbon source rocks with closely contacted source-reservoir-cap association; development mainly in large continental depressions or in paralic shallow-river delta systems; many kinds of traps coexisting in large areas, dominantly para-layered lithologic, digenetic and capillary pressure traps; double fluid flow mechanisms of Darcy flow and non-Darcy flow; complicated gas and water relations; and having the resource distribution of highly productive “sweet spots”, banding concentration, and macroscopically large areas integrated. The main controlling factors of large sandstone gas provinces with low porosity and permeability are stable dynamic backgrounds and gentle structural frameworks which control the extensive distribution of alternate (interbedded) sandstones and mudstones; weak hydropower of large gentle lake basins controlling the formation of discontinuous, low porosity and permeability reservoirs in shallow-water deltas; regionally differential diagenesis and no homogeneous digenetic facies controlling the development of favorable reservoirs and digenetic traps; and weak and dispersive reservoir-forming dynamic forces leading to the widely distributed small traps with low abundance. Low porosity and permeability gas provinces with different trap types have different formation mechanisms which include fluid diversion pressure difference interactive mechanism of lithologic-trap gas accumulations, separated differential collection mechanism of digenetic-trap gas accumulations, and the Non-Darcy flow mechanism of capillary-pressure gas accumulations. Supported by PetroChina Science and Technology Project (Grant No. 07-01C-01-07) and Youth Innovation Fund Project (Grant Nos. 10100042KT96, 07-06D-01-04-01-03)     

Temporal variations of focal mechanisms in the Novy Kostel focal zone (Vogtland/NW-Bohemia)—comparison of the swarms of 1994, 1997 and 2000

The seismicity in the Vogtland/NW-Bohemia region is mainly characterized by the occurrence of earthquake swarms. A key to a better understanding of the reasons of earthquake swarms can be provided by focal mechanism investigations. Here we present focal mechanisms for 12 of the strongest events (M_L⩾3.0) for the new swarm of 2000. With more than 10,000 events and magnitudes up to 3.7 the new swarm is the most prominent one since the big swarm in 1985/1986. The focal mechanisms of the swarm 2000 show different styles of faulting, namely strike-slip, normal and reverse faulting. There are indications for systematic temporal variations in the dislocation type. A comparison with the mechanisms of the preceding swarms of 1985/1986, 1994 and 1997 which all took place at the same location shows similarities in the faulting types and orientations of the nodal planes for the swarms of 1985/1986, 1994 and 2000. However, the focal mechanisms of 1997 do not fit into the scheme of the others. The focal mechanisms have also been used to determine the regional stress field. It turned out that the stress field in the Vogtland/NW-Bohemia region does not substantially differ from the known stress field in West and Central Europe. It is a strike slip regime with a SE–NW directed σ₁-axis and a NE–SW directed σ₃-axis.     

Impacts of El Niño–southern oscillation on global runoff: Characteristic signatures and potential mechanisms

Runoff signatures, including low flow, high flow, mean flow and flow variability, have important implications on the environment and society, predominantly through drought, flooding and water resources. Yet, the response of runoff signatures has not been previously investigated at the global scale, and the influencing mechanisms are largely unclear. Hence, this study makes a global assessment of runoff signature responses to the El Niño and La Niña phases using daily streamflow observations from 8217 gauging stations during 1960–2015. Based on the Granger causality test, we found that ~15% of the hydrological stations of multiple runoff signatures show a significant causal relationship with El Niño–southern oscillation (ENSO). The quantiles of all runoff signatures were larger during the El Niño phase than during the La Niña phase, implying that the entire flow distribution tends to shift upward during El Niño and downward during La Niña. In addition, El Niño has different effects on low and high flows: it tends to increase the low and mean flow signatures but reduces the high flow and flow variability signatures. In contrast, La Niña generally reduces all runoff signatures. We highlight that the impacts of ENSO on streamflow signatures are manifested by its effects on precipitation (P), potential evaporation (PET) and leaf area index (LAI) through ENSO-induced atmospheric circulation changes. Overall, our study provides a comprehensive picture of runoff signature responses to ENSO, with valuable insights for water resources management and flood and drought disaster mitigation.