Long-term Control Mechanisms of Stream Piracy Processes in Southeast Spain

The Gaudix Basin developed as an endorheic depression during the Upper Miocene-Upper Pleistocene. Its principal palaeogeographical lcharacteristics are a large lake in the eastern sector, an axial fluvial system and two fluvial systems transverse to it in the western sector. The uplift of a central sector of the Betic Cordillera during the Upper Pleistocene affected the study area, causing northward tilting from the Internal Zone of the cordillera (Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Baza), step-faulting of the Plio-Pleistocene infill of the ancient basin (leaving more northern sectors in a lower topographical position), alteration of fluvial current profiles and displacement of the ancient Axial System to a position very close to the divide between the ancient endorheic Gaudix Basin and the Guadalquivir Basin. This facilitated capture of the endorheic basin by the headward erosion of a tributary of the Guadalquivir River. The region then began to be rapidly eroded, as the new base level was now some 500 m lower than that of the ancient basin. The present drainage network is similar to that of the ancient endorheic basin as regards the location of the main streams and the distribution of drainage patterns and fluvial styles, although flow reversal is found in some stretches and a barbed drainage pattern appears locally. As a result of the inheritance of drainage from the ancient basin, fluvial superimposition is found in some stretches of the main streams. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Waterfall notch-filtering for restoration of acoustic backscatter records from Admiralty Bay,Antarctica

A series of multibeam sonar surveys were conducted from 2009 to 2013 around Admiralty Bay, Shetland Islands, Antarctica. These surveys provided a detailed bathymetric model that helped understand and characterize the bottom geology of this remote area. Unfortunately, the acoustic backscatter records registered during these bathymetric surveys were heavily contaminated with noise and motion artifacts. These artifacts persisted in the backscatter records despite the fact that the proper acquisition geometry and the necessary offsets and delays were applied during the survey and in post-processing. These noisy backscatter records were very difficult to interpret and to correlate with gravity-core samples acquired in the same area. In order to address this issue, a directional notch-filter was applied to the backscatter waterfall in the along-track direction. The proposed filter provided better estimates for the backscatter strength of each sample by considerably reducing residual motion artifacts. The restoration of individual samples was possible since the waterfall frame of reference preserves the acquisition geometry. Then, a remote seafloor characterization procedure based on an acoustic model inversion was applied to the restored backscatter samples, generating remote estimates of acoustic impedance. These remote estimates were compared to Multi Sensor Core Logger measurements of acoustic impedance obtained from gravity core samples. The remote estimates and the Core Logger measurements of acoustic impedance were comparable when the shallow seafloor was homogeneous. The proposed waterfall notch-filtering approach can be applied to any sonar record, provided that we know the system ping-rate and sampling frequency.     

Eutrophication processes and trophic interactions in a shallow estuary: Preliminary results based on stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N)

Stable isotopes ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were measured in primary producers and consumers of two bays with contrasting eutrophic conditions in the Patos Lagoon estuary, southern Brazil: the Justino bay, a more pristine ecosystem, and the Mangueira bay, a heavily polluted region that receives the Rio Grande city sewage and effluencts of several industries. δ¹³C values of organisms collected in both subsystems were not different, but δ¹⁵N values had significant statistical differences, ca. 3.5‰ higher in the Mangueira bay. It is likely that primary producers and consumers in this subsystem are greatly influenced by higher nitrogen input due to domestic and industrial sewages. The stable isotope analysis also corroborated several trophic interactions previously established by gut content analysis, and due to its higher sensitivity, it was possible to better determine the contributions of different primary producers and detrital fractions to the consumers' diets. It was confirmed that plant detritus represents the main food source for most organisms. The stable isotope analysis also demonstrated that detritivorous benthic organisms in the same habitat have distinct diet compositions, with differential consumption of C3 and C4 plants. This technique showed that some consumers that eat detritus do not have in their stable isotopic signature any relationship with that of plants. It is likely that these consumers assimilate their carbon and nitrogen from other sources like microalgae or microorganisms that colonize decaying plants.     

Climate Change Impacts for the Conterminous USA: An Integrated Assessment

As carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere and contribute to rising global temperatures, it is important to examine how derivative changes in climate may affect natural and managed ecosystems. In this series of papers, we study the impacts of climate change on agriculture, water resources and natural ecosystems in the conterminous United States using twelve scenarios derived from General Circulation Model (GCM) projections to drive biophysical impact models. These scenarios are described in this paper. The scenarios are first put into the context of recent work on climate-change by the IPCC for the 21st century and span two levels of global-mean temperature change and three sets of spatial patterns of change derived from GCM results. In addition, the effect of either the presence or absence of a CO₂ fertilization effect on vegetation is examined by using two levels of atmospheric CO₂ concentration as a proxy variable. Results from three GCM experiments were used to produce different regional patterns of climate change. The three regional patterns for the conterminous United States range from: an increase in temperature above the global-mean level along with a significant decline in precipitation; temperature increases in line with the global-mean with an average increase in precipitation; and, with a sulfate aerosol effect added to in the same model, temperature increases that are lower than the global-mean. The resulting set of scenarios span a wide range of potential climate changes and allows examination of the relative importance of global-mean temperature change, regional climate patterns, aerosol cooling, and CO₂ fertilization effects.     

Parameterization and Micrometeorological Measurement of Air–Sea Gas Transfer

Because of the combination of smallconcentrations and/or small fluxes, the determinationof air–sea gas fluxes presents unusual measurementdifficulties. Direct measurements (i.e., eddycorrelation) of the fluxes are rarely attempted. Inthe last decade, there has been an intense scientificeffort to improve measurement techniques and to placebulk parameterizations of gas transfer on firmertheoretical grounds. Oceanic tracer experiments,near-surface mean concentration profiles, eddyaccumulation, and direct eddy covariance methods haveall been used. Theoretical efforts have focusedprimarily in the realm of characterizing the transferproperties of the oceanic molecular sublayer. Recentmajor field efforts organized by the U.S.A. (GASEX-98) andthe European Union (ASGAMAGE) have yielded atmospheric-derivedresults much closer to those from oceanographicmethods. In this paper, we review the physical basisof a bulk-to-bulk gas transfer parameterization thatis generalized for solubility and Schmidt number. Wealso discuss various aspects of recent sensor andtechnique developments used for direct measurementsand demonstrate experimental progress with resultsfrom ASGAMAGE and GASEX-98. It is clear that sensornoise, sensitivity, and cross talk with other speciesand even ship motion corrections still need improvement foraccurate measurements of trace gas exchange over theocean. Significant work remains to resolve issuesassociated with the effects of waves, bubbles, andsurface films.     

Mixed layer depth (MLD) variability in the southern Bay of Biscay. Deepening of winter MLDs concurrent with generalized upper water warming trends?

Mixed layer depth (MLD) variability from seasonal to decadal time scales in the Bay of Biscay is studied in this work. A hydrographic time series running since 1991 in the study area, a climatology of the upper layer vertical structure based on the topology of this temperature profile time series and a one-dimensional water column model have been used for this purpose. The prevailing factors driving MLD variability have been determined with detail, and agreement with observations is achieved. Tests carried out to investigate climatological profile skill to reproduce the upper layer temporal evolution have demonstrated its ability to simulate variability at seasonal time scales and reproduce the most conspicuous events observed. This has enabled us to carry out a reconstruction of the MLD variability for the last 60 years in the study area. Favourable sequence of intense mixing events explains interannual differences and cases of extraordinary deepening of winter mixed layer. The negative phase of the Eastern Atlantic pattern seems to determine important interannual variability through intense episodes of cooling and mixing as in winter 2005 in the Bay of Biscay. Low-frequency variability is also observed. A very striking and unexpected shallower winter MLD during the 1970s and 1980s than those observed from 1995 has been found. Simulation results support this counter-intuitive outcome of shallower winter mixed layers concurrent with generalized upper water warming trends reported on several occasions for the area. The long-term trends in MLD seem related with decadal variability in the North Atlantic Oscillation, being in phase and opposition with other deepening-shallowing cycles found from subtropical-to-subpolar areas in the North Atlantic.     

Nutrient inputs from submarine groundwater discharge on the Santiago reef flat, Bolinao, Northwestern Philippines

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) on the reef flat of Bolinao, Pangasinan (Philippines) was mapped using electrical resistivity, 222Rn, and nutrient concentration measurements. Nitrate levels as high as 126 μM, or 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than ambient concentrations, were measured in some areas of the reef flat. Nutrient fluxes were higher during the wet season (May-October) than the dry season (November-April). Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN=NO3+NO2+NH4) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) fluxes during the wet season were 4.4 and 0.2 mmoles m(-2) d(-1), respectively. With the increase population size and anthropogenic activities in Bolinao, an enhancement of SGD-derived nitrogen levels is likely. This could lead to eutrophic conditions in the otherwise oligotrophic waters surrounding the Santiago reef flat.     

The Rio de la Plata craton and the adjoining Pan-African/brasiliano terranes: Their origins and incorporation into south-west Gondwana

The Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian amalgamation of SW Gondwana through the Brasiliano/Pan-African orogeny is reviewed with emphasis on the role of the Río de la Plata craton of South America in the light of new evidence from a borehole at the eastern end of the Tandilia belt (38°S). U–Pb, Hf and O isotope data on zircon indicate that this un-reworked Palaeoproterozoic craton abuts against a distinct continental terrane to the east (Mar del Plata terrane). The craton is bounded everywhere by transcurrent faults and there is no evidence to relate it to the Neoproterozoic mobile belts now seen on either side. The Punta Mogotes Formation at the bottom of the borehole contains 740–840 Ma detrital zircons that are assigned to a widespread Neoproterozoic rifting event. The data suggest that the Mar del Plata terrane rifted away from the southwestern corner of the Angola block at c. 780 Ma. Negative εHf_t values and δ¹⁸O > 6.5‰ suggest derivation by melting of old crust during a protracted extensional episode. Other continental terranes may have formed in a similar way in Uruguay (Nico Pérez) and southeastern Brazil, where the Schist Belt of the Dom Feliciano orogenic belt is probably a correlative of the Punta Mogotes sequence, implying that the Dom Feliciano belt must extend at least as far as 38°S. A new geodynamic scenario for West Gondwana assembly includes at least two major oblique collisional orogenies: Kaoko–Dom Feliciano (580–680 Ma) and Gariep–Saldania (480–580 Ma), the latter resulting from oblique impingement of the Rio de la Plata craton against the Kalahari craton. Assembly of this part of South-West Gondwana was accomplished before the Ordovician (to Silurian?) siliciclastic platform sediments of the Balcarce Formation in the Tandilia Belt covered the southern sector of Río de la Plata craton.     

Mercury, copper and zinc contamination in soils and fluvial sediments from an abandoned gold mining area in southern Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Mercury, zinc and copper contamination was evaluated in soils and fluvial sediments from an abandoned gold mining site at Descoberto Municipality (southern Minas Gerais State, Brazil). Metals bioavailability and potential mobility were studied through physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization, geoaccumulation indexes calculations, mercury speciation and determination of potentially bioavailable contents of zinc and copper. Values of pH were in the neutral range, while organic matter concentrations were very low. Mineralogical characterization, in the total samples, indicated the presence of quartz, kaolinite and gibbsite for all samples. Total mercury, zinc and cooper concentrations were higher than the limits recommended by Brazilian documents. Geoaccumulations indexes revealed that most of the sediment samples were low to moderately polluted by zinc and copper, while just one sample was very strongly polluted by mercury. Mercury speciation revealed the predominance of the elementary form for all samples, and low concentrations for exchangeable, strongly bound and residual fractions. Zinc and copper behavior was strongly controlled by iron and aluminum concentrations, while their bioavailable contents were very low in comparison with the total concentrations.