Dike intrusion under shear stress: Effects on magnetic and vesicle fabrics in dikes from rift zones of Tenerife (Canary Islands)

A theoretical model predicting how anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and vesicle fabrics are modified by shear stress resolved on the dike walls prior to the final cooling of magma is developed for vertical dikes. The resulting fabrics are asymmetric with respect to initial fabrics assumed to be symmetric. Application of this model together with collected data on magma flow direction, dike propagation direction and mechanism, and shear sense, allow us to interpret dike fabrics in terms of shear resolved on the dike walls during intrusion (en echelon arrangement, offsetting, and dike curvature). The interpretation of AMS and vesicle fabrics of the margins of four dikes shows a reasonable agreement with the proposed theoretical models, suggesting that asymmetric fabrics can be used to infer magma flow and may provide valuable information on the shear resolved on the dike walls during intrusion.     

Hurricane flood risk assessment for the Yucatan and Campeche State coastal area

Natural Hazards - In this study, the first ever Sea, Lake, Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) grid was built for the Yucatan Peninsula. The SLOSH model was used to simulate storm surges in the...     

The effect of ionic interaction on the rates of oxidation in natural waters

The effect of ionic interactions on the kinetics of disproportionation of HO₂, and the oxidation of Fe(II) and Cu(I) has been examined. The interactions of O₂ with Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ ions in seawater increases the lifetime by 3–5 times compared to water. The effect of OH⁻ on the oxidation of Fe(II) in water and seawater shows a second degree dependence from 5 to 45°C. The effect of salinity on the oxidation of Fe(II) was found to be independent of temperature, while the effect of temperature was found to be independent of salinity. The energy of activation for the overall rate constant was found to be 7 ± 0.5 kcal mol⁻¹.The effect of pH, temperature, salinity and ionic composition on the oxidation of Cu(I) has also been examined. In NaCl solutions from 0.5 to 6 M, the log k for the oxidation was a linear function of pH (6–8) with a slope of 0.2 ± 0.05. The reaction was strongly dependent on the Cl⁻ concentration with variation of from 0.3 to 340 min from 0.5 to 6 M Cl⁻. The rates of oxidation of Cu⁺ and CuCl⁰ responsible for these effects are dependent upon ionic strength. The energy of activation for the reaction was 8.5–9.9 kcal mol⁻¹ from 0.5 to 6 M. Studies of the oxidation in various NaX salts (X = I⁻, Br⁻ and Cl⁻) give rates in the order Cl⁻ > Br⁻ > I⁻ as expected, due to complex formation of Cu⁺ with X⁻.     

Climate change in northern Patagonia: critical decrease in water resources

The current study presents an assessment of the impact of climate change on water yield, one of the main hydrological ecosystem services, in northern Patagonia. The outputs of regional climate models from the CORDEX Project for South America were used to drive the InVEST water yield model. CORDEX regional climate models project for the far future (2071–2100) an increase in temperature higher than 1.5 °C and a precipitation decrease ranging from − 10 to − 30% for the study area. The projected warmer and dryer climate emerges as a robust signal based on model agreement and on consistent physical drivers of these changes. Moreover, both the projected increase in evapotranspiration and the decrease in precipitation contribute to a strong decrease in water yield of around − 20 to − 40% in the headwaters of northern Patagonian watersheds. Comparison of the results in the two basins reveals that the land cover may be considered a buffer of water yield changes and highlights the key role of protected areas in reducing the vulnerability of water resources to climate change.     

Variability of particulate (SS,POC) and dissolved (DOC,NO3) matter during storm events in the Alegria agricultural watershed

The temporal variability of suspended sediment, nitrates (NO₃) and dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon concentrations was analysed in the Alegria agricultural watershed over a 2‐year period. Nine storm events were studied, including an exhaustive analysis of hydrometeorological conditions, quantification of fluxes, and concentration‐discharge hysteresis loop characterization. The overall aim was to study the variability in these components during storm events and determine the mechanisms (flow paths) affecting the trajectories, from the source to the stream. The forms, rotational patterns and trends of hysteretic loops were investigated, and relationships between hysteresis features and hydrological parameters were studied. The results revealed clear differences between particulate (suspended sediment, particulate organic carbon) and dissolved (DOC, NO₃) matter transport responses. Movement of the particulate matter was attributed to surface water, as reflected in clockwise hysteresis loops, whereas dissolved matter showed, in general, counterclockwise hysteresis loops, indicating a time delay in the arrival of solutes to the stream. This could be related to subsurface flow paths for DOC and a groundwater source for NO₃. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Early succession of the macroinvertebrate community in a shallow lake: Response to changes in the habitat condition

In the present study the initial succession of the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of a newly created shallow lake in a wetland area was monitored during 15 months. Three different types of macroinvertebrate samples (multihabitat, associated to the Phragmites australis stands and associated to the sediment) were collected monthly from May 2004 to July 2005. Additional samples were collected in the reed stand in 2007, when the reed belt had become much taller and thicker. Colonization of the lake was fast, and the colonization sequence was mainly related to the dispersal abilities of the taxa. Habitat-specific changes in the assemblage's structure and composition were registered. The communities associated to the sediment showed a decrease in overall biomass, density and species richness along time. The density of the gastropod Physella acuta and the chironomid species Dicrotendipes pallidicornis, Polypedilum nubifer and Tanytarsus horni decreased significantly, after Chara stands declined; while the chironomid Chironomus riparius became dominant. The epiphytic macroinvertebrate communities associated with the reed stands followed a seasonal pattern, with a warm-period community dominated by the chironomid species Ablabesmyia monilis and Psectrocladius sordidellus-group, and a cold-period community dominated by the chironomid species Cricotopus ornatus and D. pallidicornis.