Temporal variations in bedload transport rates: The effect of progressive bed armouring

The quantitative bedload transport data that are presently available confirm that the generalized bedload transport rate-stream power relationship is applicable to natural streams. However, the bedload transport rate is not solely dependent upon hydraulic parameters, but also upon the inter-relationship between bed material characteristics and flow properties. Segregation of the surficial bed material, as expressed through the development of an armour coat, limits the availability of transportable material. Under such circumstances observed bedload transport rates are less than the predicted values. The effect which the development of an armoured surface has upon the bedload transport rate is described with reference to bedload and bed material sampling in the Borgne d'Arolla, Valais, Switzerland. The data refer to two periods when the resumption of baseflow conditions following flood events which were of a sufficient magnitude to transport all but the coarsest (0·3–0·5 m) particles on the streambed, provided the opportunity for the bed to adjust to a comparatively stable flow regime. Observed and predicted bedload transport rate-stream power relationships are compared. The theoretical relationship does not adequately describe conditions in some gravel-bed channels, since it fails to take into account the effect which armouring may have upon the supply of transportable material.     

Noble gas components in planetary atmospheres and interiors in relation to solar wind and meteorites

We discuss observed xenon isotopic signatures in solar system reservoirs and possible relationships. The predominant trapped xenon component in ordinary chondrites (OC) is OC-Xe and its isotopic signature differs from Xe in ureilites, in carbonaceous chondrites, in the atmospheres of Earth and Mars, and in the solar wind. Additional minor Xe components were identified in type 3 chondrites and in the metal phase of chondrites. The OC-Xe and ureilite signatures are both consistent with varying mixtures of HL-Xe and slightly mass fractionated solar-type Xe. Xenon in the Martian atmosphere is found to be strongly mass fractionated by 37.7‰ per amu, relative to solar Xe, favoring the heavy isotopes. Xenon in SNC’s from the Martian mantle show admixture of solar-type Xe, which belongs to an elementally strongly fractionated component. The origin of the isotopic signatures of Ne and Xe in the terrestrial atmosphere are discussed in the light of evidence that the Xe isotopic fractionations in the Martian and terrestrial atmospheres are consistent. However, in the terrestrial atmospheric Xe component excesses are observed for¹³²Xe and also for^129,131Xe, relative to fractionated solar Xe. The suggested chemically fractionated fission Xe component (CFF-Xe) seems to closely match the above excesses. We discuss models of origin for planetary volatiles and possible processes driving their evolution to present day compositions.     

Solar Photospheric and Chromospheric Observations using a Lithium Niobate Fabry-Perot Etalon

We have made a narrow band tunable filter for solar observations using a Lithium Niobate Fabry-Perot etalon. The 60 mm aperture etalon with a free spectral range of 4.22 Å and finesse of 26 at = 6122 Å has been procured from CSIRO, Australia. The wavelength tuning is achieved by applying high voltage to the etalon substrate at the rate of 0.45 Å per 1000 Volts. The filter is being used for imaging the sun in H line and obtaining Doppler- and Magnetogram in CaI 6122 Å line. In this paper, we present some initial observations carried out with this filter at Udaipur Solar Observatory.     

The Suburbanization of Food Insecurity: An Analysis of Projected Trends in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area

Although general patterns of food insecurity in the United States are known, few studies have attempted to estimate small area food security or account for ongoing socioeconomic changes. Here we address these issues by producing small area estimates of food insecurity in the Atlanta metropolitan area using two methodologies: fixed effects modeling and demographic metabolism. In both cases, we use county-level data from the Current Population Survey to determine the association between food insecurity and demographic predictors. These associations are then applied to tract-level data from the 2009 to 2013 American Community Survey and projected data for 2020 to create small area estimates of food insecurity. We find broad consensus between our two methods. For both time periods, food insecurity is highest in southern sections of the city of Atlanta and its neighboring suburbs. Projections to 2020, however, show that food insecurity rates are projected to increase in outer-ring suburbs east and west of the city while decreasing in the urban core. These results highlight the need to further adapt antihunger efforts for often sprawling suburban communities, where poverty rates are increasing but spatial mismatch combined with poor transit access might hinder access to food assistance.     

Structure of a simple sunspot from the inversion of IR spectral data

Analysis of spectral data of two neighboring infrared lines, Fe I 15648.5 Å (g = 3) and FeI 15652.9 Å (g_eff = 1.53) are carried out for a simple sunspot when it was near the solar disk center (μ = 0.92), to understand the basic structure of sunspot magnetic field. Inversions of Stokes profiles are carried out to derive different atmospheric parameters both as a function of location within the sunspot and height in the atmosphere. As a result of the inversion we have obtained maps of magnetic field strength, temperature, line‐of‐sight velocity, field inclination and azimuth for different optical depth layers between log(τ₅) = 0 and log(τ₅) = –2.0. In this paper we present few results from our inversion for a layer averaged between log(τ5) from 0.0 to –0.5.     

Hydrological modelling in the anthroposphere: predicting local runoff in a heavily modified high-alpine catchment

Hydrological models within inflow forecasting systems for high-alpine hydropower reservoirs can provide valuable information as part of a decision support system for the improvement of hydropower production or flood retention. The information, especially concerning runoff, is however rarely available for the calibration of the hydrological models used. Therefore, a method is presented to derive local runoff from secondary information for the calibration of the model parameters of the rainfallrunoff model COSERO. Changes in water levels in reservoirs, reservoir outflows, discharge measurements at water intakes and in transport lines are thereby used to derive the local, “natural” flow for a given sub-catchment. The proposed method is applied within a research study for the ÖBB Infrastructure Railsystem division in the Stubache catchment in the central Austrian Alps. Here, the ÖBB operates the hydropower scheme “Kraftwerksgruppe Stubachtal”, which consists of 7 reservoirs and 4 hydropower stations. The hydrological model has been set up considering this human influences and the high natural heterogeneity in topography and land cover, including glaciers. Overall, the hydrological model performs mostly well for the catchment with highest NSE values of 0.78 for the calibration and 0.79 for the validation period, also considering the use of homogeneous parameter fields and the uncertainty of the derived local discharge values. The derived runoff data proved to be useful information for the model calibration. Further analysis, examining the water balance and its components as well as snow cover, showed satisfactory simulation results. In conclusion, a unique runoff dataset for a small scale high-alpine catchment has been created to establish a hydrological flow prediction model which in a further step can be used for improved and sustainable hydropower management.     

Dynamics of settling-driven convection beneath a sediment-laden buoyant overflow: Implications for the length-scale of deposition in lakes and the coastal ocean

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted in order to determine how settling-driven convection influences the length-scale over which the majority of particles settle beneath a buoyant sediment-laden plume spreading over a denser saline layer. This system is analogous to sediment-laden river water spreading into a lake or the coastal ocean. The key dimensionless parameter that controls the settling dynamics of such flows is the density ratio, defined as the ratio of density differences due to the added salt and sediment. For a buoyant plume, this ratio has to be greater than unity, so that the experiments in the current study were performed for density ratios between one and five. When density ratio was close to one, settling-driven convection was vigorous and the length-scale over which sedimentation occurred was very small. A strong secondary turbidity current was generated in this case. On the other hand, for larger values of density ratio, the predicted length-scale over which a secondary plume was generated increased in proportion to the density ratio. A complete mathematical expression for this length-scale was developed using recent theory that described the timescale over which settling-driven convection evolved. The theoretically predicted propagation length-scale showed very good quantitative agreement with laboratory experiments. The use of the dimensionless density ratio allows the expression to predict which sediment-laden river plumes in lakes and the coastal ocean could quickly form secondary turbidity currents.     

Floodplain construction by recent,rapid vertical accretion: Waipaoa River,New Zealand

The rate of vertical accretion (typically 14–18 mm h⁻¹) during eight floods in the Waipaoa River basin, with recurrence intervals of 5 to 60 years, was determined by relating the floodplain stratigraphy at McPhail's bend to the 1948–1995 flood history. Overbank deposits remaining after a flood that occurred in March 1996 suggest a rate of vertical accretion of 15 mm h⁻¹. By contrast, because the flow velocity across the floodplain was too high to permit deposition from suspension, during the record flood of March 1988 the rate of vertical accretion was only 6 mm h⁻¹. The sequence of deposition is highly discontinuous, and the rapid vertical accretion is a response to a late 19th to early 20th century phase of deforestation in the headwaters that probably initiated a far greater change in suspended sediment yield than in discharge. Cross-section surveys conducted since 1948 indicate that the high suspended sediment load of the Waipaoa River also promoted in-channel deposition, which effected a progressive reduction in bankfull channel width although, due to the overbank deposition, channel capacity remained constant. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conceptualising and measuring psychological preparedness for disaster: The Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale

Natural Hazards - Most research on household disaster preparedness has focussed on physical, or material, preparation. Recently, researchers have turned attention to investigating psychological, or...