Numerical simulations of granular dynamics II: Particle dynamics in a shaken granular material

Surfaces of planets and small bodies of our Solar System are often covered by a layer of granular material that can range from a fine regolith to a gravel-like structure of varying depths. Therefore, the dynamics of granular materials are involved in many events occurring during planetary and small-body evolution thus contributing to their geological properties.We demonstrate that the new adaptation of the parallel N-body hard-sphere code pkdgrav has the capability to model accurately the key features of the collective motion of bidisperse granular materials in a dense regime as a result of shaking. As a stringent test of the numerical code we investigate the complex collective ordering and motion of granular material by direct comparison with laboratory experiments. We demonstrate that, as experimentally observed, the scale of the collective motion increases with increasing small-particle additive concentration.We then extend our investigations to assess how self-gravity and external gravity affect collective motion. In our reduced-gravity simulations both the gravitational conditions and the frequency of the vibrations roughly match the conditions on asteroids subjected to seismic shaking, though real regolith is likely to be much more heterogeneous and less ordered than in our idealised simulations. We also show that collective motion can occur in a granular material under a wide range of inter-particle gravity conditions and in the absence of an external gravitational field. These investigations demonstrate the great interest of being able to simulate conditions that are to relevant planetary science yet unreachable by Earth-based laboratory experiments.     

Large Proton Anisotropies in the 18 August 2010 Solar Particle Event

The solar particle event observed at STEREO Ahead on 18?August 2010 displayed a rich variety of behavior in the particle anisotropies. Sectored rates measured by the Low Energy Telescope (LET) on STEREO showed very large bidirectional anisotropies in 4??C?6?MeV protons for the first ???17?hours of the event while inside a magnetic cloud, with intensities along the field direction several hundred to nearly 1000 times greater than those perpendicular to the field. At the trailing end of the cloud, the protons became isotropic and their spectrum hardened slightly, while the He/H abundance ratio plunged by a factor of approximately four for about four hours. Associated with the arrival of a shock on 20?August was a series of brief (<?10?minute duration) intensity increases (commonly called ??shock spikes??) with relatively narrow angular distributions (???45^° FWHM), followed by an abrupt decrease in particle intensities at the shock itself and a reversal of the proton flow to a direction toward the Sun and away from the receding shock. We discuss the STEREO/LET observations of this interesting event in the context of other observations reported in the literature.     

When do rock glacier fronts fail? Insights from two case studies in South Tyrol (Italian Alps)

The fronts of two rock glaciers located in South Tyrol (Italian Alps) failed on 13 August 2014, initiating debris flows in their downslope channels. A multimethod approach including climate, meteorological, and ground temperature data analysis, aerial image correlation, as well as geotechnical testing and modeling, led to the reconstruction of the two events. An integrated investigation of static predisposing factors, slowly changing preparatory factors, and potential triggering events shed light on the most likely reasons for such failures. Our results suggest that the occurrence of front destabilization at the two rock glaciers can only partly be explained by the occurrence of heavy rainfall events. Indeed, antecedent hydrological and thermal ground conditions were characterized by a saturated active layer favored by a snow-rich winter and extensive precipitation in late spring and summer. Also, the rising trend of air temperature during spring and summer months since 1950s might explain the concurrent marked displacement of the two rock glaciers. Indeed, geotechnical investigations have provided strong indications that one of the investigated rock glacier fronts was at a marginally stable state prior to 2014. As rainfall events more intense than the one that occurred in August 2014 were previously recorded in the same area without resulting failures at the studied rock glaciers, we propose that both predisposing and preparatory destabilizing factors have played a key role in the 2014 rock glacier front failures.     

The dark matter environment of the Abell 901/902 supercluster: a weak lensing analysis of the HST STAGES survey

We present a high-resolution dark matter reconstruction of the   z = 0.165  Abell 901/902 supercluster from a weak lensing analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope STAGES survey. We detect the four main structures of the supercluster at high significance, resolving substructure within and between the clusters. We find that the distribution of dark matter is well traced by the cluster galaxies, with the brightest cluster galaxies marking out the strongest peaks in the dark matter distribution. We also find a significant extension of the dark matter distribution of Abell 901a in the direction of an infalling X-ray group Abell 901α. We present mass, mass-to-light and mass-to-stellar mass ratio measurements of the structures and substructures that we detect. We find no evidence for variation of the mass-to-light and mass-to-stellar mass ratio between the different clusters. We compare our space-based lensing analysis with an earlier ground-based lensing analysis of the supercluster to demonstrate the importance of space-based imaging for future weak lensing dark matter 'observations'.     

Historical behaviour of Dome C and Talos Dome (East Antarctica) as investigated by snow accumulation and ice velocity measurements

Ice divide–dome behaviour is used for ice sheet mass balance studies and interpretation of ice core records. In order to characterize the historical behaviour (last 400 yr) of Dome C and Talos Dome (East Antarctica), ice velocities have been measured since 1996 using a GPS system, and the palaeo-spatial variability of snow accumulation has been surveyed using snow radar and firn cores. The snow accumulation distribution of both domes indicates distributions of accumulation that are non-symmetrical in relation to dome morphology. Changes in spatial distributions have been observed over the last few centuries, with a decrease in snow accumulation gradient along the wind direction at Talos Dome and a counter-clockwise rotation of accumulation distribution in the northern part of Dome C. Observations at Dome C reveal a significant increase in accumulation since the 1950s, which could correlate to altered snow accumulation patterns due to changes in snowfall trajectory. Snow accumulation mechanisms are different at the two domes: a wind-driven snow accumulation process operates at Talos Dome, whereas snowfall trajectory direction is the main factor at Dome C. Repeated GPS measurements made at Talos Dome have highlighted changes in ice velocity, with a deceleration in the NE portion, acceleration in the SW portion and migration of dome summit, which are apparently correlated with changes in accumulation distribution. The observed behaviour in accumulation and velocity indicates that even the most remote areas of East Antarctica have changed from a decadal to secular scale.     

The ichnology of carbonate drifts

Carbonate drifts have so far not been as intensely investigated as their siliciclastic equivalents, especially from an ichnological perspective. The aim of this work is therefore to provide an overview of the different bioturbation styles in carbonate drifts for ichnologists and sedimentologists working in such deposits. Different types of carbonate drifts from the Maldives were studied to address this objective. The cores recovered during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 359 were examined to provide the sedimentological and ichnological data for a detailed analysis of the ichnology of carbonate drifts. The ichnological characteristics of the Maldives drifts are compared to other carbonate drifts in order to discuss similarities and differences, and thus provide an overview of the general characteristics of carbonate drift ichnology. These drifts are located in the Santaren Channel which lines Great Bahama Bank, along the Marion Plateau in Australia, in the Limassol and Larnaca basins in Cyprus and in the Danish Basin in Denmark. The common characteristics of bioturbation in carbonate drifts are: (i) the complete bioturbation of the sediment with bioturbation indexes between four and six; (ii) the occurrence of distinctive trace fossils limited to facies contacts or condensed intervals; (iii) a typical ichnoassemblage consisting of Thalassinoides, Scolicia, Planolites, Zoophycos, Chondrites, Phycosiphon and Palaeophycus; (iv) the contiguous occurrence of ichnogenera from different tiers, with only Zoophycos and Chondrites as deep tiers; and (v) distinct infills of the traces including particulate organic matter, pyrite, silica and celestine. In addition, the main ichnofacies of carbonate drifts is the Zoophycos ichnofacies. Ichnofabrics grade from coarse‐grained and completely bioturbated to ichnofabrics with present to rare trace fossils and preserved sedimentary structures. The type and intensity of the bioturbation is controlled by the amount of organic matter and the oxygenation at the sea floor that is determined by the action of bottom currents and the sea‐level fluctuations affecting the carbonate factory in carbonate platforms bordering the basins where the carbonate drifts form. The study of the bioturbation in core and outcrop provides palaeoenvironmental information about carbonate‐drift deposits that complement the classical sedimentological data.     

Phosphate removal from water by naturally occurring shale,sandstone, and laterite: The role of iron oxides and of soluble species

Aqueous phosphate removal by three geomaterials from Ivory Coast was evaluated to determine their potential application as low-cost phosphate adsorbents in wastewater treatment. Batch experiments showed that phosphate uptake strongly depended on pH. Laterite and sandstone dissolution was less pronounced compared to shale. A correlation between concentrations of aqueous cation species released from shale and phosphate uptake was observed. The kinetics were well described using the pseudo-second-order model. Isotherms displayed a saturation level on shale, while phosphate uptake continuously increased for laterite and sandstone. The removal efficiency decreased in the following ranking order: laterite > sandstone > shale. Laterite was also the most efficient adsorbent in column experiments. The high phosphate removal efficiency of laterite (8.3 mg PO₄ g^?1) was attributed to the presence of superparamagnetic low grain sizes of goethite. Laterite is a particularly promising material for further investigation in wastewater treatment technology such as constructed wetlands.     

A concerted research effort to advance the hydrological understanding of tropical páramos

Páramos, a neotropical alpine grassland-peatland biome of the northern Andes and Central America, play an essential role in regional and global cycles of water, carbon, and nutrients. They act as water towers, delivering water and ecosystem services from the high mountains down to the Pacific, Caribbean, and Amazon regions. Páramos are also widely recognized as a biodiversity and climate change hot spots, yet they are threatened by anthropogenic activities and environmental changes. Despite their importance for water security and carbon storage, and their vulnerability to human activities, only three decades ago, páramos were severely understudied. Increasing awareness of the need for hydrological evidence to guide sustainable management of páramos prompted action for generating data and for filling long-standing knowledge gaps. This has led to a remarkably successful increase in scientific knowledge, induced by a strong interaction between the scientific, policy, and (local) management communities. A combination of well-established and innovative approaches has been applied to data collection, processing, and analysis. In this review, we provide a short overview of the historical development of research and state of knowledge of the hydrometeorology, flux dynamics, anthropogenic impacts, and the influence of extreme events in páramos. We then present emerging technologies for hydrology and water resources research and management applied to páramos. We discuss how converging science and policy efforts have leveraged traditional and new observational techniques to generate an evidence base that can support the sustainable management of páramos. We conclude that this co-evolution of science and policy was able to successfully cover different spatial and temporal scales. Lastly, we outline future research directions to showcase how sustainable long-term data collection can foster the responsible conservation of páramos water towers.     

Coupled groundwater flow and heat transport simulation for estimating transient aquifer–stream exchange at the lowland River Spree (Germany)

Subsurface flow and heat transport near Freienbrink, NE Germany, was simulated in order to study groundwater–surface water exchange between a floodplains aquifer and a section of the lowland River Spree and an adjacent oxbow. Groundwater exfiltration was the dominant process, and only fast surface water level rises resulted in temporary infiltration into the aquifer. The main groundwater flow paths are identified based on a 3D groundwater flow model. To estimate mass fluxes across the aquifer–surface water interfaces, a 2D flow and heat transport modelling approach along a transect of 12 piezometers was performed. Results of steady‐state and transient water level simulations show an overall high accuracy with a Spearman coefficient ρ = 0.9996 and root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.008 m. Based on small groundwater flow velocities of about 10^?7 to 10^?6 ms^?1, mean groundwater exfiltration rates of 233 l m^?2 d^?1 are calculated. Short periods of surface water infiltration into the aquifer do not exceed 10 days, and the infiltration rates are in the same range. The heat transport was modelled with slightly less accuracy (ρ = 0.8359 and RMSE = 0.34 °C). In contrast to the predominant groundwater exfiltration, surface water temperatures determine the calculated temperatures in the upper aquifer below both surface water bodies down to 10 m during the whole simulation period. These findings emphasize prevailing of heat conduction over advection in the upper aquifer zones, which seems to be typical for lowland streams with sandy aquifer materials and low hydraulic gradients. Moreover, this study shows the potential of coupled numerical flow and heat transport modelling to understand groundwater–surface water exchange processes in detail. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.