Orbital forcing signal in sediments of two Amazonianlakes

Paleolimnological data from two ancient lakes at 0° latitudein Amazonia indicate that past lake level changes reflect precessional (19,000to 22,000 years) variations in insolation over the last 170,000 years. Waterlevel in Lakes Pata and Verde, Brazil, is determined by the ratio ofprecipitation:leakage. Times of low lake level are indicated in sediments byoxidized clays, evidence of algal blooms and high K⁺ concentrations.Peak K⁺ values are attributed to biogenic concentration when thelake was reduced to a shallow, productive pool. Low lake phases correlate withmaximum insolation during the dry season (June–July–August). Thusthe last glacial maximum 18,000 to 22,000 yr BP was a wet time in northernAmazonia, and the driest period of the last 170,000 years was from 35,000 to27,000 yr BP. These results from near the equator do not imply thatprecipitation changed synchronously across Amazonia, because geographiclocations throughout the vast watershed were undoubtedly influenced by localmoisture sources.     

Systematic increase in model complexity helps to identify dominant streamflow mechanisms in two small forested basins

This study shows how the use of increasing model complexity allows us to hypothesize about dominant streamflow mechanisms in two small Brazilian forested basins. Nine different structures from SUPERFLEX, an objective framework to systematically increase hydrological model complexity, were tested and we extended the flexible modelling methodology to error models as well. We show that applying a rigorous methodology in a model evaluation framework, with residual analysis and control of model complexity, is essential for testing a model as a hypothesis for dominant hydrological controls. Our results indicate that the model architecture was more important than the increase in the number of model parameters. Better performing models were those with a parallel structure, which confirms our a priori belief about the dominant runoff mechanisms of the studied catchments, characterized by a rapid response to rainfall, but also a constant river discharge fed by water storage on the thick soil layer.     

Spatiotemporal variability of vegetation due to drought dynamics (2012–2017): a case study of the Upper Paraíba River basin,Brazil

Natural Hazards - Vegetation indices have been widely used for monitoring the spatiotemporal variables of vegetation and characterizing droughts, primarily in semiarid regions. Drought is a...     

Application of empirical models to bay-shaped beaches in Portugal

Three models were applied to analyse the planform of bay-shaped Portuguese beaches. They are based on empirical mathematical functions: the logarithmic spiral bay equation, the hyperbolic-tangent bay equation, and the parabolic bay equation. These models were applied to analyse the fitting to the beach planform of 42 beaches on the Portuguese Atlantic coast which was calculated through the validation against the waterline extracted from rectified aerial photographs. The logarithmic spiral model fits well the curved zone of the beaches, in particular small beaches with two headlands. Despite the good fitting of the hyperbolic-tangent model for one headland beach, its process of approximation to the solution was less intuitive than the processes of the other two models, therefore its application was more exhaustive. A comparative analysis between the logarithmic spiral model and the hyperbolic-tangent model revealed the best fit of the first. The application of the parabolic model allowed to conclude that despite the majority of the beaches analysed being in dynamic equilibrium condition due to the high energy wave regime of the Portuguese Atlantic coast, their planform was very close to the planform in static equilibrium condition due to the high dynamics of the coastal environment.     

Nonsulfide and sulfide-rich zinc mineralizations in the Vazante, Ambrósia and Fagundes deposits, Minas Gerais, Brazil: Mass balance and stable isotope characteristics of the hydrothermal alterations

The Vazante Group hosts the Vazante nonsulfide zinc deposit, which comprises high-grade zinc silicate ore (ZnSiO₄), and late-diagenetic to epigenetic carbonate-hosted sulfide-rich zinc deposits (e.g. Morro Agudo, Fagundes, and Ambrósia). In the sulfide-rich deposits, hydrothermal alteration involving silicification and dolomitization was related with ground preparation of favorable zones for fluid migration (e.g. Fagundes) or with direct interaction with the metalliferous fluid (e.g. Ambrósia). At Vazante, hydrothermal alteration resulted in silicification and dolomite, siderite, jasper, hematite, and chlorite formation. These processes were accompanied by strong relative gains of SiO₂, Fe₂O_3(T), Rb, Sb, V, U, and La, which are typically associated with the nonsulfide zinc mineralization. All sulfide-rich zinc ores in the district display a similar geochemical signature suggesting a common metal source from the underlying sedimentary sequences.Oxygen and carbon isotope compositions of hydrothermally altered rocks reveal a remarkable alteration halo at the Vazante deposit, which is not a notable feature in the sulfide-rich deposits. This pattern could be attributed to fluid mixing processes involving the metalliferous fluid and channelized meteoric water, which may control the precipitation of the Vazante nonsulfide ore. Sulfide deposition resulted from fluid–rock interaction processes and mixing between the ascending metalliferous fluids and sulfur-rich tectonic brines derived from reduced shale units.     

Effects of local site and building parameters on damage distribution in Angra do Heroísmo—Azores

During the M_w=6.9 January 1, 1980 earthquake in the Azores, the damage distribution in the town of Angra do Heroísmo, in Terceira Island, had a non-homogeneous spatial character. In order to understand the observed pattern of damage a microtremor survey was carried out, using ambient vibrations, and the data were analysed with the J-Sesame software, following the H/V Nakamura methodology. The results are in good agreement with the surface geology and they show a good correlation with the observed damages. Two building surveys were performed, in 1980 on damage evaluation and in 2000 on characterization of few building parameters. With all these elements (surface geology type, soil peak frequency, building type, number of stories and damage level) for 2111 buildings it was possible to perform several interparameter analysis, which enabled the identification of indicators that could be used to improve the damage estimation for future events.     

Measuring and modeling vertical gradients in suspended sediments in the Solimões/Amazon River

Accurately measuring sediment flux in large rivers remains a challenge due to the spatial and temporal cross‐sectional variability of suspended sediment concentrations in conjunction with sampling procedures that fail to accurately quantify these differences. This study presents a field campaign methodology that can be used to improve the measurement of suspended sediment concentrations in the Amazon River or similarly large rivers. The turbidity signal and Rouse model are together used in this study to define the spatial distribution of suspended sediment concentrations in a river cross‐section, taking into account the different size fractions of the sediment. With this methodology, suspended sediment fluxes corresponding to each sediment class are defined with less uncertainty than with manual samples. This paper presents an application of this methodology during a field campaign at different gauging stations along a 3,000‐km stretch of the Solimões/Amazon River during low water and flood periods. Vertical concentration profiles and Rouse model applications for distinctive sediment sizes are explored to determine concentration gradients throughout a cross‐section of the river. The results show that coupling both turbidity technology and the Rouse model may improve our understanding of the spatial distribution of different sediments fractions sizes in the Solimões/Amazon River. These data are very useful in defining a pertinent monitoring strategy for suspended sediment concentrations in the challenging context of large rivers.