Aeolian/fluvial interactions and high-resolution sequence stratigraphy of a non-marine lowstand wedge: the Avilé Member of the Agrio Formation (Lower Cretaceous), central Neuquén Basin, Argentina

Abstract Accumulation within the unconformity‐based Hauterivian Avilé Sandstone of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, was characterized by a close interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes developed after a major relative sea‐level drop that almost completely desiccated the entire basin and juxtaposed these non‐marine deposits on shallow‐ and deep‐marine facies. Aeolian deposits within the Avilé Member include dune (A1) and sand sheet (A2) units that characterize the lower part of the unit. Fluvial deposits comprise distal flood units (F1) interbedded with aeolian dune deposits in the middle part of the succession, and low‐ (F2) and high‐sinuosity (F3) channels associated with floodplain deposits (F4) towards the top. The internal characteristics of the aeolian system indicate that its accumulation was strongly controlled by water‐table dynamics, with the development of multiple horizontal deflation super surfaces that truncate dune deposits and form the basal boundary of flood deposits and sand sheet units. A long‐term wetting‐upward trend is recorded throughout the entire unit, with an increase in fluvial activity towards the top and the development of a more permanent fluvial system overlying a major erosion surface interpreted as a sequence boundary. The upward increase in water‐table influence might be related to relative sea‐level rise, which controlled the position of the water table and allowed the accumulation of tabular aeolian units bounded by horizontal deflation surfaces. This high‐frequency, eustatically driven process acted together with a long‐term climatic change towards wetter conditions.     

Understanding precipitation recycling over the Tibetan Plateau using tracer analysis with WRF

The precipitation recycling (PR) ratio is an important indicator that quantifies the land-atmosphere interaction strength in the Earth system’s water cycle. To better understand how the heterogeneous land surface in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) contributes to precipitation, we used the water-vapor tracer (WVT) method coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate model. The goals were to quantify the PR ratio, in terms of annual mean, seasonal variability and diurnal cycle, and to address the relationships of the PR ratio with lake treatments and precipitation amount. Simulations showed that the PR ratio increases from 0.1 in winter to 0.4 in summer when averaged over the TP with the maxima centered at the headwaters of three major rivers (Yangtze, Yellow and Mekong). For the central TP, the highest PR ratio rose to over 0.8 in August, indicating that most of the precipitation was recycled via local evapotranspiration in summer. The larger daily mean and standard deviation of the PR ratio in summer suggested a stronger effect of land-atmosphere interactions on precipitation in summer than in winter. Despite the relatively small spatial extent of inland lakes, the treatment of lakes in WRF significantly impacted the calculation of the PR ratio over the TP, and correcting lake temperature substantially improved both precipitation and PR ratio simulations. There was no clear relationship between PR ratio and precipitation amount; however, a significant positive correlation between PR and convective precipitation was revealed. This study is beneficial for the understanding of land-atmosphere interaction over high mountain regions.

     

Contrasting beach-ridge systems in different types of coastal settings

Beach-ridge systems are geomorphological features common in every type of coast and have been widely interpreted as geo-archives of past sea-level, climatic, or tectonic changes. These relict morphological elements are well-known by their facies, architecture, stratigraphy, and evolution. However, the coastal context where beach ridges are formed has never been evaluated. Coastal beach-ridge systems were classified into four main types corresponding to deltaic strandplains, non-deltaic strandplains, spits, and barrier islands. Our study consisted of three scales of analysis: (1) the entire beach-ridge system; (2) beach-ridge sets; and (3) individual beach ridges. Several beach-ridge systems having formed in different types of coastal settings are compared by their present characteristics. Geomorphic data generated from processing and interpreting satellite images combined with previous studies are used to quantify multi-scale attributes of beach-ridge systems. These attributes include the area, length, width, number of sets, number of ridges per set, set rotation, ridge spacing, and ridge elevation. Our findings demonstrate that significant differences define beach-ridge systems including deltaic strandplains, large non-deltaic strandplains, small non-deltaic strandplains, large spits (cuspate forelands), small spits (flying spits, bay-mouth spits and tombolos) and barrier islands. A more comprehensive characterization of the factors controlling beach-ridge variability will improve our ability to recognize the sedimentary record of ancient of these systems. The proposed basic platform can be used to isolated different beach-ridge types and systems to facilitate future process and morphodynamic studies.     

Approximate solutions of non-linear circular orbit relative motion in curvilinear coordinates

A compact, time-explicit, approximate solution of the highly non-linear relative motion in curvilinear coordinates is provided under the assumption of circular orbit for the chief spacecraft. The rather compact, three-dimensional solution is obtained by algebraic manipulation of the individual Keplerian motions in curvilinear, rather than Cartesian coordinates, and provides analytical expressions for the secular, constant and periodic terms of each coordinate as a function of the initial relative motion conditions or relative orbital elements. Numerical test cases are conducted to show that the approximate solution can be effectively employed to extend the classical linear Clohessy–Wiltshire solution to include non-linear relative motion without significant loss of accuracy up to a limit of 0.4–0.45 in eccentricity and 40–45\(^\circ \) in relative inclination for the follower. A very simple, quadratic extension of the classical Clohessy–Wiltshire solution in curvilinear coordinates is also presented.     

Stock Evaluation of Three Littoral Echinoid Species on the Catalan Coast North-Western Mediterranean

Abstract. We estimated the abundances of the three common littoral echinoid species Paracentrotus lividus, Arbacia lixula and Sphaerechinus granularis in a littoral zone between 0 and 10m depth on the Catalan shores NE Spain. Densities of each species were estimated from a total number of 11 571× 1 m² sampling units deployed at 152 sites along the 13 zones into which the coast was divided. The surface area available in each of these zones was estimated at the scale of the sampling unit 1 m² taking into account the fractal dimension of the shore. The stocks individuals > 2cm test diameter of these species for the whole Catalan shore ≅ 300 km, straight-line distance were estimated to be about 279.1 × 10⁶ individuals for P. lividus , 28.9 × 10⁶ individuals for A. lixula and 10.9 × 10⁶ individuals for S. granularis. These sea-urchins are key species in the regulation of algal communities and some of them P. lividus. S. granularis are of commercial interest. This information will provide a tool for the future monitoring and management of this resource, which now faces diverse pressures of human origin.     

Coastal inundation under concurrent mean and extreme sea-level rise in Coral Gables,Florida, USA

Natural Hazards - Southeast Florida (SF) is among the most vulnerable regions to sea-level rise in the United States of America. The consequences associated with sea-level rise (SLR) are already...