Weighted residual method for diffraction of plane P-waves in a 2-D elastic half-space III: on an almost circular arbitrary-shaped alluvial valley

Scattering and diffraction of elastic in-plane P- and SV-waves by a surface topography such as an elastic canyon at the surface of a half-space is a classical problem which has been studied by earthquake engineers and strong motion seismologists for over forty years. The case of out-of-plane SH-waves on the same elastic canyon that is semicircular in shape on the half-space surface is the first such problem that was solved by analytic closed-form solutions over forty years ago by Trifunac. The corresponding case of in-plane P- and SV-waves on the same circular canyon is a much more complicated problem because the in-plane P- and SV- scattered waves have different wave speeds and together they must have zero normal and shear stresses at the half-space surface. It is not until recently in 2014 that analytic solution for such problem is found by Lee and Liu. This paper uses their technique of defining these stress-free scattered waves, which Brandow and Lee previously used to solve the problem of the scattering and diffraction of these in-plane waves on an almost-circular surface canyon that is arbitrary in shape, to the study of the scattering and diffraction of these in-plane waves on an almost circular arbitrary-shaped alluvial valley.     

Total Dissolved Gas Pressure Measurements for Assessing Contaminant Degradation Processes in Groundwater

The total dissolved gas pressure (P_TDG ) probe has been used in groundwater studies for over a decade, but rarely in assessing contaminant degradation, despite the many degradation reactions that produce or consume dissolved gases. Here we present three studies to demonstrate the application of P_TDG measurements to groundwater experiencing contaminant degradation, with discussion of its benefits and limitations. The first study is a pilot‐scale laboratory experiment simulating dissolved ethanol contamination of an anaerobic sand aquifer. Continuous monitoring of P_TDG showed the rapid onset of microbial hydrocarbon degradation via denitrification and fermentation. The subsequent formation of a gas phase was revealed when P_TDG began mimicking the bubbling pressure (P_G *; sum of hydrostatic and atmospheric pressure), fluctuating with atmospheric pressure. Some deviations of P_TDG above P_G * occurred also, which may hold promise for signalling substantial changes in the rate or type of degradation process (here, the onset of methanogenesis). In the second study, synoptic field measurements at a petroleum plume site demonstrated how elevated P_TDG could identify wells with evidence of hydrocarbon degradation (denitrification and/or methanogenesis). And finally, combined field measurements of dissolved oxygen (DO) and P_TDG in monitoring wells of a nitrate‐contaminated aquifer (Abbottsford‐Sumas) revealed areas where denitrification was likely occurring. Limitations to P_TDG use identified in these studies included the masking of degradation processes by the presence of a gas phase, as when trapped following water table fluctuations or formed from rigorous degradation reactions, and confounded assessment of P_TDG patterns from other natural or anthropogenic processes that can also influence groundwater P_TDG .     

Complexity as a streamflow metric of hydrologic alteration

We explore the potential of using a complexity measure from statistical physics as a streamflow metric of basin-scale hydrologic alteration. The complexity measure that we employ is a non-trivial function of entropy. To determine entropy, we use the so-called permutation entropy (PE) approach. The PE approach is desirable in this case since it accounts for temporal streamflow information and it only requires a weak form of stationarity to be satisfied. To compute the complexity measure and assess hydrologic alteration, we employ daily streamflow records from 22 urban basins, located in the metropolitan areas of the cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, in the United States. We use urbanization to represent hydrologic alteration since urban basins are characterized by varied and often pronounced human impacts. Based on our application of the complexity measure to urban basins, we find that complexity tends to decline with increasing hydrologic alteration while entropy rises. According to this evidence, heavily urbanized basins tend to be temporally less complex (less ordered or structured) and more random than basins with low urbanization. This complexity loss may have important implications for stream ecosystems whose ability to provide ecosystem services depend on the flow regime. We also find that the complexity measure performs better in detecting alteration to the streamflow than more conventional metrics (e.g., variance and median of streamflow). We conclude that complexity is a useful streamflow metric for assessing basin-scale hydrologic alteration.     

The impact of inter-flood duration on non-cohesive sediment bed stability

Limited field and flume data suggests that both uniform and graded beds appear to progressively stabilize when subjected to inter-flood flows as characterized by the absence of active bedload transport. Previous work has shown that the degree of bed stabilization scales with duration of inter-flood flow, however, the sensitivity of this response to bed surface grain size distribution has not been explored. This article presents the first detailed comparison of the dependence of graded bed stability on inter-flood flow duration. Sixty discrete experiments, including repetitions, were undertaken using three grain size distributions of identical D₅₀ (4.8 mm); near-uniform (σ_g = 1.13), unimodal (σ_g = 1.63) and bimodal (σ_g = 2.08). Each bed was conditioned for between 0 (benchmark) and 960 minutes by an antecedent shear stress below the entrainment threshold of the bed (τ*_c50). The degree of bed stabilization was determined by measuring changes to critical entrainment thresholds and bedload flux characteristics. Results show that (i) increasing inter-flood duration from 0 to 960 minutes increases the average threshold shear stress of the D₅₀ by up to 18%; (ii) bedload transport rates were reduced by up to 90% as inter-flood duration increased from 0 to 960 minutes; (iii) the rate of response to changes in inter-flood duration in both critical shear stress and bedload transport rate is non-linear and is inversely proportional to antecedent duration; (iv) there is a grade dependent response to changes in critical shear stress where the magnitude of response in uniform beds is up to twice that of the graded beds; and (v) there is a grade dependent response to changes in bedload transport rate where the bimodal bed is most responsive in terms of the magnitude of change. These advances underpin the development of more accurate predictions of both entrainment thresholds and bedload flux timing and magnitude, as well as having implications for the management of environmental flow design. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reintroduction of the European bison (Bison bonasus) in central-eastern Europe: a case study

ABSTRACT

European bison (Bison bonasus), a flagship species for the burgeoning re-wildling movement, faced challenges common to large mammals globally. These include deforestation, land use conversion, poaching, and a lack of genetic diversity. Despite these limitations, organizations such as Rewilding Europe seek to reintroduce the species to its historic range. This study focused on finding suitable reintroduction locations for a population of at least 120 individuals. Through GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making using weighted linear combination and analytical hierarchy process, a model based on known bison habitat preferences, human-centered habitat constraints, and surface geography was used to identify regions large enough to accommodate a new herd. The study area included central-eastern Europe Union countries, specifically Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. The model identified several highly suitable regions large enough to support a new herd, with the most optimal located in Poland. Highly suitable areas represented 2.7% of the study region. Relative isolation of suitable regions reinforced the challenges of promoting gene flow between reintroduced European bison herds. This model can be replicated in other conservation planning contexts, including reintroduction of large herbivores considering anthropogenic, ecological, and physical conditions.     

When Fields Revert to Forest: Development and Spontaneous Reforestation in Post‐War Puerto Rico

During the past 50 years forests have recolonized extensive areas of Puerto Rico. Between 1950 and 1990 forest cover increased from 9% to 37% of the island's land area. In proportional terms more land has reverted to forest in Puerto Rico than anywhere else on earth during the second half of the twentieth century. This paper explores the geography of this process by matching changes in land cover with the characteristics of the land and communities in Puerto Rico. The reversion of agricultural lands to forest occurred most frequently in humid, upland, coffee‐growing regions characterized by heavy out‐migration and populations of smallholders who earned some of their income from off‐farm sources. These findings suggest that changes in non‐farm labor markets, as well as changes in the political economy of agriculture, have important impacts on the prospects for converting agricultural lands into forests.     

The travertine dams of Slade Brook, Gloucestershire: their formation and conservation

Travertine dams along the Slade Brook, Gloucestershire, occur over a 700-m length of stream, making this the largest active site of its kind so far recorded in the British Isles. The dams have considerable conservation value owing to their unusual geomorphology and influence on water flow (ponding and cascades) and their specialized flora and fauna.     

Environmental control of short-term variation in the plankton community of inner Tokyo Bay, Japan

Water temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations and the composition of the plankton community were recorded at three stations in inner Tokyo Bay over a period of 328 days (from June 8, 1995 to April 30, 1996) with a nominal sampling frequency of once per day. Inspection of the results revealed that the data could be divided into two blocs as an aid to analysis: the period from June to October was characterized by the development of stratification of temperature and salinity (stratification period), and November to March was characterized by uniform temperature and salinity in the water column due to vertical mixing (mixing period). Oxygen-depleted water forms in the bottom layer during the stratification period, but vertical mixing of the water column, due to changing wind and rainfall conditions caused by passing weather fronts, results in the breakdown of the oxygen-depleted water mass. Nutrient loads are high in the surface water due to the freshwater supply, but occasional pulses of primary production cause a depletion of phosphate in the surface water, suggesting that the phosphorus becomes a limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth in this period. Several short-term peaks of plankton abundance (blooms) occurred as responses to temporal changes in water quality from June to November, with consequent species succession. Significant fluctuations in the densities of the diatom Skeletonema costatum and several species of ciliates corresponded to the daily changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of the coastal environment. During the mixing period, when water temperature and solar radiation decreased, there were no short-term variations in water quality and although nutrient concentrations gradually increased from November to February, primary production remained low. This study shows that the short-term dynamics of the phytoplankton community are closely coupled to fluctuations in environmental forcing, and that the degree of coupling is stronger during periods when solar radiation is greater. The results provide a novel typological understanding of seasonal plankton dynamics in a shallow, eutrophicated marine embayment, and suggest how such systems may be treated in simulation modeling.     

Opaque mineralogy and magnetic properties of selected banded iron‐formations,Hamersley Basin,Western Australia

The oxide mineralogy and rock magnetic properties of unmineralised banded iron‐formations in selected portions of four drillholes in the Hamersley Basin, Western Australia are reviewed. In all four drillholes, petrographic studies indicate that primary euhedral to subhedral hematite is partially replaced by magnetite as a result of subsolidus reduction. All drillholes show partial recrystallisation of the secondary magnetite, suggesting that early subsolidus reduction was probably a regional event occurring during prograde metamorphism. Incomplete replacement of primary hematite by magnetite within and between sedimentary band structures indicates that equilibration in the magnetite stability field was not reached even at the mesoband scale. Subsequent subsolidus oxidation of magnetite and the formation of a second‐generation hematite are documented in only two of the drillholes. Goethite‐filled veins and thick selvages of goethite around some veins reflect movement of circulating oxidising fluids. The absence of goethite and second‐generation hematite in two of the drillholes indicates that subsolidus oxidation is not a regional event, but very much localised. Rapid changes in down‐hole susceptibility measurements correlate directly with detailed petrographic results as susceptibility readings change with the hematite/magnetite ratio on a mesoband scale. Acquisition of the main remanence correlates with the formation of hematite as the primary oxide phase followed by partial replacement by magnetite as a result of subsolidus reduction, supporting regional models requiring pre‐folding remanence. The strong orientation of the primary hematite parent parallel to band structures in the banded iron‐formations has influenced the direction of crystallisation remanent magnetisation during subsolidus reduction to the magnetite daughter. The strong planar alignment has also produced a planar magnetic fabric and marked anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility. A natural remanent magnetisation overprint and reduction in anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility are only recorded in samples that have undergone subsolidus oxidation and the recognition of localised post‐metamorphic oxidation overprinting can also explain ore deposit models requiring post‐folding remanence. The relative timing of and between oxidising fluid events is not known, but both petrographic and rock magnetic evidence to date suggests that there was at least one and probably two post‐folding oxidising events in the area of study.