Seasonal controls on DOC dynamics in nested upland catchments in NE Scotland

Spatial and temporal variability of hydrological responses affecting surface water dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations are important for determining upscaling patterns of DOC export within larger catchments. Annual and intra‐annual variations in DOC concentrations and fluxes were assessed over 2 years at 12 sites (3·40–1837 km²) within the River Dee basin in NE Scotland. Mean annual DOC fluxes, primarily correlated with catchment soil coverage, ranged from 3·41 to 9·48 g m^?2 yr^?1. Periods of seasonal (summer–autumn and winter–spring) DOC concentrations (production) were delineated and related to discharge. Although antecedent temperature mainly determined the timing of switchover between periods of high DOC in the summer‐autumn and low DOC in winter‐spring, inter‐annual variability of export within the same season was largely dependent on its associated water flux. DOC fluxes ranged from 1·39 to 4·80 g m^?2 season^?1 during summer–autumn and 1·43 to 4·15 g m^?2 season^?1 in winter–spring.Relationships between DOC areal fluxes and catchment scale indicated that mainstem fluxes reflect the averaging of highly heterogeneous inputs from contrasting headwater catchments, leading to convergent DOC fluxes at catchment sizes of ca 100 km². However, during summer–autumn periods, in contrast to winter–spring, longitudinal mainstem DOC fluxes continue to decrease, most likely because of increasing biological processes. This highlights the importance of considering seasonal as well as annual changes in DOC fluxes with catchment scale. This study increases our understanding of the temporal variability of DOC upscaling patterns reflecting cumulative changes across different catchment scales and aids modelling of carbon budgets at different stages of riverine systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Compositionally diverse magmas erupted close together in space and time within a Karoo flood basalt crater complex

Geochemical data and mapping from a Karoo flood basalt crater complex reveals new information about the ascent and eruption of magma batches during the earliest phases of flood basalt volcanism. Flood basalt eruptions at Sterkspruit, South Africa began with emplacement of thin lava flows before abruptly switching to explosive phreatomagmatic and magmatic activity that formed a nest of craters, spatter and tuff rings and cones that collectively comprise a crater complex >40 km² filled by 9–18 km³ of volcaniclastic debris. Rising magma flux rates combined with reduced access of magma to external water led to effusion of thick Karoo flood basalts, burying the crater-complex beneath the >1.5 km-thick Lesotho lava pile. Geochemical data is consistent with flood basalt effusion from local dikes, and some lava flows likely shared or re-occupied vent sites active during explosive eruptions at Sterkspruit. Flood basalt magmas involved in Sterkspruit eruptions were chemically heterogenous. This study documents the rapid (perhaps simultaneous) eruption of three chemically distinct basaltic magmas which cannot be simply related to one another from one vent site within the Sterkspruit crater complex. Stratigraphic and map relationships indicate that eruption of the same three magma types took place from closely spaced vents over a short time during formation of the bulk of the crater-complex. Two magma types recognized there have not been recognized in the Karoo province before. The variable composition of flood basalts at Sterkspruit argues that magma batches in flood basalt fields may be small (0.5–1 km³) and not simply related to one another. This implies in turn that heterogeneities in the magma source region may be close to each other in time and space, and that eruptions of chemically distinct magmas may take place over short intervals of space and time without significant hybridisation in flood basalt fields.     

Landscapes on the edge: examining the role of climatic interactions in shaping coastal watersheds using a coastal–terrestrial landscape evolution model

Incised coastal gullies (ICGs) are dynamic features found at the terrestrial‐coastal interface. Their geomorphic evolution is driven by the interactions between processes of fluvial knickpoint migration and coastal cliff erosion. Under scenarios of future climate change the frequency and magnitude of the climatological drivers of both terrestrial (fluvial and hillslope) and coastal (cliff erosion) processes are likely to change, with an adjunct impact on these types of coastal features. Here we explore the response of an incised coastal gully to changes in both terrestrial and coastal climate in order to elucidate the key process interactions which drive ICG evolution. We modify an extant landscape evolution model, CHILD, to incorporate processes of soft‐cliff erosion. This modified version, termed the Coastal‐Terrestrial‐CHILD (CT‐CHILD) model, is then employed to explore the interactions between changing terrestrial and coastal driving forces on the future evolution of an ICG found on the south‐west Isle of Wight, UK. It was found that the magnitude and frequency of storm events will play a key role in determining the future trajectory of ICGs, highlighting a need to understand the role of event sequencing in future projections of landscape evolution. Furthermore, synergistic (positive) and antagonistic (negative) interactions were identified between coastal and terrestrial parameters, such as wave height intensity and precipitation duration, which act to modulate the impact of changes in any one parameter. Of note was the role played by wave height intensity in driving coastal erosion, which was found to play a more important role than sea‐level rise in determining rates of coastal erosion. This highlights the need for a greater focus on wave height in studies of soft‐cliff erosion. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects Of Changing Surface Heat Flux On Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Flow Over Flat Terrain

We examine the unsteady response of a neutral atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) of depth h and friction velocity u _* when a uniform surface heat flux is applied abruptly or decreased rapidly over a time scale t<inf>θ</inf> less than about h /(10u _*). Standard Monin–Obukhov (MO) relationships are used for the perturbed eddy viscosity profile in terms of the changes to the heat flux and mean shear. Analytical solutions for changes in temperature, mean wind and shear stress profile are obtained for the surface layer, when there are small changes in h /|L_MO| over the time scale t_MO~|L _MO|/(10u_*) (where L _MO and t _MO are the length and time scales, respectively). They show that a maximum in the wind speed profile occurs at the top of the thermal boundary layer for weak surface cooling, i.e. a wind jet, whereas there is a flattening of the profile and no marked maximum for weak surface heating. The modelled profiles are approximately the same as those obtained from the U.K. Met Office Unified Model when operating as a mesoscale model at 12-km horizontal resolution. The theoretical model is modified when strong surface heating is suddenly applied, resulting in a large change in h /|L _MO| (>>1), over the time scale t _MO. The eddy structure is predicted to change significantly and the addition of convective turbulence increases the shear turbulence at the ground. A low-level wind jet can form, with convective turbulence adding to the mean momentum of the flow. This was verified by our laboratory experiment and direct numerical simulations. Additionally, it is shown that the effects of Coriolis acceleration diminish (rather than as suggested in the literature, amplify) the formation of the wind jets in the situations considered here. Hence, only when the surface heat flux changes over time scales greater than 1/f (where f is the Coriolis parameter) does the ABL adjust monotonically between its equilibrium states. These results are also applicable to the ABL passing over spatially varying surface heat fluxes.     

New insights into slide processes and seafloor geology revealed by side-scan imagery of the massive Hinlopen Slide, Arctic Ocean margin

The submarine Hinlopen Slide, located along the Arctic Ocean margin, is one of the largest known mass movements on Earth. The slide scar has several unusual morphometric characteristics, including headwalls up to 1,500 m high and spectacularly large, steep-sided rafted megablocks. The slide processes and continental margin properties that produced these features are not well known. A new high-resolution TOBI (towed ocean bottom instrument) side-scan sonar dataset reveals information about the detailed seafloor morphology and, therefore, slide dynamics during the final stages of sliding. First, the headwall area was efficiently and almost completely evacuated of slide debris, which is unusual for large submarine slides. Second, features relating to the propagation of extension to the shelf behind the headwall are absent, suggesting “strong” cohesive shelf material here or that a very stable shelf configuration was reached, possibly defined by NE-SW-trending faults. Third, there is little evidence for the translation of shelf material, again uncommon for submarine slides. Taken together with the occurrence of massive megablocks in the slide debris, Hinlopen Slide is distinct because of the juxtaposition of apparently “stronger” shelf material that has remained intact (headwalls, megablocks), and “weaker” shelf material that disaggregated fully during slope failure. Nevertheless, there is sonograph evidence of variable post-slide disintegration of the megablocks. Contrary to previous interpretations, this suggests that the blocks comprise sedimentary lithologies that are prone to failure, a key aspect awaiting confirmation.     

Information infrastructure for Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System

Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS, imos.org.au) is research infrastructure to establish an enduring observing program for Australian oceanic waters and shelf seas. The observations cover physical, biological, and chemical variables to address themes of multi-decadal ocean change, climate variability and weather extremes, boundary currents and inter-basin flows, continental shelf processes and ecosystem responses.IMOS observations are collected by national facilities based on various platform types and operated by partner institutions around the country. In this paper we describe the infrastructure and workflows developed to manage and distribute the data to the public. We highlight the existing standards and open-source software we have adopted, and the contributions we have made. To demonstrate the value of this infrastructure we provide some illustrations of use and uptake.All IMOS data are freely and openly available to the public via the Ocean Portal (https://imos.aodn.org.au). All IMOS-developed software is open-source and accessible at https://github.com/aodn.     

The most-cited works in Geomorphology

We conducted a review and analysis of the references cited in articles published (1995–2004) in the journal Geomorphology and also solicited comments from the authors of the most-cited works on their major influences. Of the 31,696 unique works cited in the journal, only 22 were referenced at least 20 times, with the vast majority (92%) cited only once or twice. We divided the citations into the 10 most-cited books (i.e., complete volumes) and 10 most-cited papers (i.e., journal articles, book chapters, reports). A total of 23 different researchers were responsible for the 20 works, with one (Wolman) being an author or co-author of a quarter of them. Seven of the ten most-cited papers were based on work in the USGS in the mid-twentieth century, indicating a particularly fruitful time of geomorphic research and a particularly important cohort of scientists. Based on our citation analysis and author commentaries, we suggest that classic works in geomorphology are most likely to be those that provide useful knowledge and those that incorporate interdisciplinary perspectives.