High chloride concentrations in the soil and groundwater under an oak hedge in the West of France: an indicator of evapotranspiration and water movement

Chloride is a major anion in soil water and its concentration rises essentially as a function of evapotranspiration. Compared to herbaceous vegetation, high transpiration rates are measured for isolated trees, shelterbelts or hedgerows. This article deals with the influence of a tree hedge on the soil and groundwater Cl^? concentrations and the possibility of using Cl^? as an indicator of transpiration and water movements near the tree rows. Cl^? concentrations were measured over 1 year at different depths in the unsaturated zone and in the groundwater along a transect intersecting a bottomland oak hedge. We observed a strong spatial heterogeneity of Cl^? concentrations, with very high values up to 2 g l^?1 in the unsaturated zone and 1·2 g l^?1 in the upper part of the groundwater. This contrasts with the low and homogeneous concentrations (60–70 mg l^?1) in the deeper part of the groundwater. Cl^? accumulation in the unsaturated zone at the end of the vegetation season allows us to identify the active root zone extension of trees. In winter, upslope of the tree row, downwards leaching partly renews the soil solution in the root zone, while the slow water movement under the trees or farther downslope results in Cl^? accumulation and leads to a salinization of the soil and groundwater. This salinization is of the same order as experimental conditions produce negative effects on oak seedlings. The measurement of Cl^? concentrations in the unsaturated zone under tree rows at the end of the vegetation season would indicate whether certain topographic, pedological or climatic conditions are likely to favour a strong salinization of the soil, as observed in the present study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An examination of the validation of a model of the hydro/thermo/mechanical behaviour of engineered clay barriers

This paper focuses attention on the development of a numerical model of the hydro/thermo/mechanical behaviour of unsaturated clay and its consequent verification and validation. The work presented describes on-going collaboration between the Cardiff School of Engineering and Atomic Energy of Canada. The model development, which was carried out at Cardiff, can be described as being based on a mechanistic approach to coupled heat, moisture and air flow. This is then linked to a deformation analysis of the material within a ‘consolidation’ type of model. The whole is solved via the finite element method to yield a computer software code named COMPASS (COde for Modelling PArtly Saturated Soil). Some aspects of verification and validation of the model have been addressed in-house. However, the purpose of current AECL work is to provide an independent, rigorous, structured programme of validation and the paper will also explore the further validation of COMPASS within this context. © 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sigmoidal exsolution by internal shear stress in pyroxenes from chondritic meteorites

Pyroxenes of pigeonitic and augitic bulk compositions in H3–4 chondritic meteorites commonly exhibit sigmoidal precipitates, rather than the elsewhere common lamellar associations. Most often, submicrometric sigmoids with calcic clinopyroxene composition occur within clinoenstatite; more rarely, clinoenstatite sigmoids occur within calcic clinopyroxene. The sigmoids appear as 001 terminated lamellae, with terminations rotated in opposite directions towards the 100 orientation. Pre-exsolution pigeonite and augite formed at temperatures higher than 980 °C, whereas sigmoidal exsolution occurred between 990 and 830 °C. Local anomalous lattice parameters determined by electron diffraction suggest that lattice parameters are most strained where the exsolution texture is most poorly defined. Shear strain occurs during exsolution due to mismatching lattice parameters and variable angles. In response to shear stress, the lamellae relax and assume sigmoidal strained morphologies. Sigmoidal exsolution is strongly controlled by (100) orthoenstatite stacking faults that possibly trigger exsolution.     

A lithological assessment of the resistivity data acquired during the airborne geophysical survey of Anglesey,North Wales

A recent airborne geophysical survey has provided high resolution estimates of the electrical resistivity of the near-surface and deeper (bedrock) formations found across Anglesey and a portion of the coastal area of North Wales. This single small survey provides new geophysical information on both the complex configuration of the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian bedrock units and the shallow near-surface geology and glacial features.     

Describing alpine lake influence on stream network temperatures: A statistical modelling approach

Systematic variations in atmospheric heat exchange, surface residence time, and groundwater influx across montane stream networks commonly produce an increasing stream temperature trend with decreasing elevation. However, complex stream temperature profiles that differ from this common longitudinal trend also exist, suggesting that stream temperatures may be influenced by complex interactions among hydrologic and atmospheric processes. Lakes within stream networks form one potential source of temperature profile complexity due to the spatially variable contribution of lake-sourced water to stream flow. We investigated temperature profile complexity in a multi-season stream temperature dataset collected across a montane stream network containing many alpine lakes. This investigation was performed by making comparisons between multiple statistical models that used different combinations of stream and lake characteristics to represent specific hypotheses for the controls on stream temperature. The compared models included a set of models which used a topographically derived estimate of the hydrologic influence of lakes to separate and quantify the effects of stream elevation and lake source-water contributions to longitudinal stream temperature patterns. This source-water mixing model provided a parsimonious explanation for complex stream-network temperature patterns in the summer and autumn, and this approach may be further applicable to other systems where stream temperatures are influenced by multiple water sources. Simpler models that discounted lake effects were more optimal during the winter and spring, suggesting that complex patterns in stream temperature profiles may emerge and subside temporally, across seasons, in response to diversity of water temperatures from different sources.     

Spatial patterns of sub-tidal seagrasses and their tissue nutrients in the Torres Strait,northern Australia: Implications for management

The distribution and nutritional profiles of sub-tidal seagrasses from the Torres Strait were surveyed and mapped across an area of 31,000 km². Benthic sediment composition, water depth, seagrass species type and nutrients were sampled at 168 points selected in a stratified representative pattern. Eleven species of seagrass were present at 56 (33.3%) of the sample points. Halophila spinulosa, Halophila ovalis, Cymodocea serrulata and Syringodium isoetifolium were the most common species and these were nutrient profiled. Sub-tidal seagrass distribution (and associated seagrass nutrient concentrations) was generally confined to northern-central and south-western regions of the survey area (<longitude 142.60), where mean water depth was relatively shallow (approximately 13 m below MSL) and where sediments were comprised primarily muddy sand to gravelly sand. Seagrass nitrogen and starch content, the most important nutrients for marine herbivores, were significantly correlated with species and with the plant component (above or below ground). For all seagrass species, the above-ground component (shoots and leaves) possessed greater nitrogen concentrations than the below-ground component (roots and rhizomes), which possessed greater starch concentrations. S. isoetifolium had the highest total nitrogen concentrations (1.40±0.05% DW). However, it also had higher fibre concentrations (38.2±0.68% DW) relative to the other four species. H. ovalis possessed the highest starch concentrations (2.76±0.12% DW) and highest digestibility (83.24±0.66% DW) as well as the lowest fibre (27.2±0.66% DW). The high relative abundance (found at 55% of the sites that had seagrass) and nutrient quality characteristics of H. ovalis make it an important source of energy to marine herbivores that forage sub-tidally in the Torres Strait. There were two regions in Torres Strait (north-central and south-western) where sub-tidal seagrass meadows were prevalent and of relatively higher nutritional value. This spatial and nutritional information can be used by local agencies to manage and to protect the ecological, economic and cultural values of the sub-tidal seagrass ecosystems and associated fisheries of the Torres Strait.     

Cloud effects on air-sea interactions during the 1979 Indian summer monsoon as studied from satellite observations

Summary The Indian summer monsoon, one of the earth's most vigorous and energetic seasonally occurring weather events, influences the global atmospheric circulation. Its onset, duration, and intensity are governed by large- and meso-scale geophysical processes, such as surface solar heating and air-sea interactions. In this paper, using innovative combinations of satellite sensor data, we investigate some of these fundamental processes which are closely tied to clouds and control the monsoon system's evolution. The study, which focuses on the monsoon period of June, 1979, examines the low-frequency variability of clouds and their effects on air-sea processes through an analysis of the complex influence clouds play on the surface heat and water budgets. First, the effects of clouds on both the solar and longwave components of the surface radiation budget are assessed using a cloud radiative forcing parameter. While the effects of clouds on the long-wave irradiance act in a manner opposite to their effects on the shortwave irradiance, only a partial compensation is found to take place and the net effect results in a maximum cloud forcing of 60 Wm^–2 in the southwestern Arabian Sea. Second, employing satellite-derived precipitation and evaporation estimates, the paper analyzes the net surface fresh water budget variability around the monsoon onset. This budget is important in that fresh water affects the upper ocean density distribution and, consequently, the thermohaline circulation. Two regions are found to dominate the analysis: the western Arabian Sea, where evaporation is dominant by more than 10 mm day^–1, and the eastern Arabian Sea, where precipitation is dominant by more than 10 mm day^–1. Thus, a strong zonal gradient of fresh water at the surface is established during the monsoon. The last topic investigated is the intraseasonal variability of convection as analyzed using a cloud parameter indicative of deep convection. Cloud oscillations of 30–50 days, associated with the different phases of the monsoon, are found to propagate northward in the eastern Indian Ocean and eastward in the Bay of Bengal. Our analysis not only supports the hypothesis that the 30–50-day oscillation is driven by deep convection but also, and more importantly, suggests that the ocean thermal forcing is modulated by 30–50-day oscillations through cloud-induced surface radiative forcing. Although the results presented are limited in scope and preliminary because of the diffculty in quantifying the accuracy of the parameters examined, they do demonstrate: 1) the role of clouds in modulating the surface heat and water budgets, 2) the advantage of using combinations of multi-sensor and multi-platform satellite observations to quantify interrelated surface heat/water budget processes, and 3) the potential to examine the intraseasonal variability of air-sea interaction processes associated with the monsoon, even though these processes are not directly measurable from space.With 6 FiguresB. DiJulio passed away in September 1990.     

A novel wide-field hard x-ray telescope

We discuss a hard x-ray telescope for the range 25–70 keV based on a one-dimensional lobster-eye telescope and x-ray supermirror coatings. This approach enables wide field-of-view imaging. A telescope suitable for a large balloon payload, with a 50×100 cm frontal area, could have an effective area of 50–100 cm² and a 10⁰×10⁰ field of view, and thereby detect AGN that are 0.5 milliCrab in the soft x-rays in a 10⁴ second exposure. 29% of the sky could be surveyed to this limit in a 2-week balloon flight, reaching 6 times fainter than the HEAO A-4 all-sky survey.     

Tropospheric Ozone in a Global-Scale Three-Dimensional Lagrangian Model and Its Response to NOX Emission Controls

A three-dimensional Lagrangian tropospheric chemistry modelis used toinvestigate the impact of human activities on the tropospheric distributionofozone and hydroxyl radicals. The model describes the behaviour of 50 speciesincluding methane, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide andnineorganic compounds emitted from human activities and a range of other sources.Thechemical mechanism involves about 100 chemical reactions of which 16 arephotochemical reactions whose diurnal dependence is treated in full. The modelutilises a five minute chemistry time step and a three hour advection timestepfor the 50,000 air parcels. Meteorological data for the winds, temperatures,clouds and so on are taken from the UK Meteorological Office global model for1994 onwards. The impacts of a 50% reduction in European NO_Xemissions onglobal ozone concentrations are assessed. Surface ozoneconcentrations decrease in summertime and rise in wintertime, but to differentextents.