Magnetotelluric observational techniques on land

During the period since the Workshops in Sopron and Murnau we have witnessed some quite remarkable changes in the techniques employed in magnetotelluric (MT) observations. These changes have brought about significant improvements in the quality of MT data that can be gathered today. The new techniques are very likely to bring improvements in many areas beside MT, but are reviewed here in the light of the progress they have rendered possible for MT soundings on land. Three main subjects are covered in this review. The first one is concerned with the use of cryogenic or SQUID magnetometers. The new instruments are presented to the geomagnetist. An explanation of how these instruments work is given without, however, details of their operation and fabrication, and without showing that they usually have a much larger, i.e. better, signal-to-noise ratio than conventional magnetometers. Next, the method of the remote magnetic reference is examined. Originally the MT method assumed incident signals in the form of plane waves. While it is known today that incident wave amplitudes which vary linearly with distance are perfectly acceptable for MT soundings, there are many other higher order distortions of the incident signal which are not acceptable. Most of these high order or local perturbations are man-made and can seriously falsify MT data. All processes of MT data analysis try to minimize the errors caused by locally perturbed signals. But they are only partly successful, especially when the perturbations produce strong cross-power bias. The remote magnetic reference method has proved far superior in avoiding most of this cross-power as well as faulty autopower. The last section of this review deals with the use in the field of microcomputers or microprocessors. These have made it possible to process the data on the site already to such a degree that the sounding crew knows whether the sounding is proceeding satisfactorily, and can decide how best to continue the survey work. Of particular interest is digital filtering, which is especially easy with the microcomputer, and which may be used to avoid specific sources of perturbation.     

Interpretation and possibilities of applying LHR frequency determined from satellite VLF measurements in middle geomagnetic latitudes

un nmu a ¶rt;u ¶rt;am ¶rt; mm u a uuuu¶rt; a () a na. m nm, u , ¶rt;um a amm mmu nmua a m m na ¶rt; mum uaum um (2uamm m f_H u na amm m f_N. uam mm n au ¶rt; amm , ¶rt;mum amu¶rt; f _N ² f _H ² u f _H ² f _N ² . a m a n¶rt;um umnmau aamumu auauu amm n u nmu a¶rt;u.     

The Equatorial Undercurrent in the central Atlantic and its relation to tropical Atlantic variability

Seasonal to interannual variations of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) in the central Atlantic at 23°W are studied using shipboard observation taken during the period 1999–2011 as well as moored velocity time series covering the period May 2005–June 2011. The seasonal variations are dominated by an annual harmonic of the EUC transport and the EUC core depth (both at maximum during September), and a semiannual harmonic of the EUC core velocity (maximum during April and September). Substantial interannual variability during the period of moored observation included anomalous cold/warm equatorial Atlantic cold tongue events during 2005/2008. The easterly winds in the western equatorial Atlantic during boreal spring that represent the preconditioning of cold/warm events were strong/weak during 2005/2008 and associated with strong/weak boreal summer EUC transport. The anomalous year 2009 was instead associated with weak preconditioning and smallest EUC transport on record from January to July, but during August coldest SST anomalies in the eastern equatorial Atlantic were observed. The interannual variations of the EUC are discussed with respect to recently described variability of the tropical Atlantic Ocean.     

2021 JGS best paper award and the editors’ choice paper volume 24(1)

Journal of Geographical Systems -     

Chemically induced fracturing in alkali feldspar

Fracturing in alkali feldspar during Na⁺–K⁺ cation exchange with a NaCl–KCl salt melt was studied experimentally. Due to a marked composition dependence of the lattice parameters of alkali feldspar, any composition gradient arising from cation exchange causes coherency stress. If this stress exceeds a critical level fracturing occurs. Experiments were performed on potassium-rich gem-quality alkali feldspars with polished (010) and (001) surfaces. When the feldspar was shifted toward more sodium-rich compositions over more than about 10 mole %, a system of parallel cracks with regular crack spacing formed. The cracks have a general (h0l) orientation and do not correspond to any of the feldspar cleavages. The cracks are rather oriented (sub)-perpendicular to the direction of maximum tensile stress. The critical stress needed to initiate fracturing is about 325 MPa. The critical stress intensity factor for the propagation of mode I cracks, K _Ic, is estimated as 2.30–2.72 MPa m^1/2 (73–86 MPa mm^1/2) from a systematic relation between characteristic crack spacing and coherency stress. An orientation mismatch of 18° between the crack normal and the direction of maximum tensile stress is ascribed to the anisotropy of the longitudinal elastic stiffness which has pronounced maxima in the crack plane and a minimum in the direction of the crack normal.     

Diversity,composition and host-species relationships of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two forests in Nepal

Epiphytic plant species are an important part of biological diversity. It is therefore essential to understand the distribution pattern and the factors influencing such patterns. The present study is aimed at observing the patterns of species richness, abundances and species composition of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two subtropical forests in Nepal. We also studied the relationship of host plants (Schima wallichii and Quercus lanata) and epiphyte species. Data were collected in Naudhara community forest (CF) and the national forest (NF) in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate tests. In total, we recorded 41 species of epiphytes (33 orchid and 8 fern species). Orchid species abundance is significantly higher in CF compared to NF. Orchid species richness and abundance increased with increasing southern aspect whereas it decreased with increasing canopy cover, and fern species richness increased with host bark roughness. Orchid abundance was positively correlated with increasing bark pH, stem size, tree age and tree height and negatively correlated with increasing steepness of the area. Likewise, fern abundances were high in places with high canopy cover, trees that were tall and big, but decreased with increasing altitude and southern aspect. The composition of the orchid and fern species was affected by altitude, aspect, canopy cover, DBH, number of forks and forest management types. We showed that the diversity of orchid and fern epiphytes is influenced by host characteristics as well as host types. The most important pre-requisite for a high epiphyte biodiversity is the presence of old respectively tall trees, independent of the recent protection status. This means: (i) for protection, e.g. in the frame of the national park declaration, such areas should be used which host such old tall trees; and (ii) also in managed forests and even in intensively used landscapes epiphytes can be protected by letting a certain number of trees be and by giving them space to grow old and tall.     

Airborne remote sensing of cloud radiative smoothing during the Baltex Bridge Cloud campaign

Based on airborne observations during the Baltex Bridge Cloud (BBC) campaign in September 2001, the impact of two layer cloud systems, gas absorption and surface albedo on cloud radiative smoothing is investigated. Multispectral nadir radiance measurements have been conducted which cover the visible and near infrared wavelength range. The observed radiances are transformed into Fourier space where ranges of scale-invariance are identified. Associated slopes and scale breaks are determined and used to characterize the impacts on cloud radiative smoothing. The results reveal that an increase of gas absorption reduces the small scale slope and the scale break due to a decreasing likelihood of horizontal photon transport. Another impact is that the increasing gas absorption reduces the cloud surface interaction, which is indicated by an increase of the large scale slope. An increasing surface albedo results in large scale cloud radiative smoothing and is associated with a decrease of the large scale slope. This effect depends on the cloud height and the cloud morphology. Two layer cloud systems exhibit a similar behaviour in Fourier space as large surface albedos beneath a single cloud deck. It is argued that the impact of two layer cloud systems on large scale cloud radiative smoothing may not be typical for two layer clouds.     

How well can we simulate complex hydro‐geomorphic process chains? The 2012 multi‐lake outburst flood in the Santa Cruz Valley (Cordillera Blanca,Perú)

Changing high‐mountain environments are characterized by destabilizing ice, rock or debris slopes connected to evolving glacial lakes. Such configurations may lead to potentially devastating sequences of mass movements (process chains or cascades). Computer simulations are supposed to assist in anticipating the possible consequences of such phenomena in order to reduce the losses. The present study explores the potential of the novel computational tool r.avaflow for simulating complex process chains. r.avaflow employs an enhanced version of the Pudasaini ( 2012 ) general two‐phase mass flow model, allowing consideration of the interactions between solid and fluid components of the flow. We back‐calculate an event that occurred in 2012 when a landslide from a moraine slope triggered a multi‐lake outburst flood in the Artizón and Santa Cruz valleys, Cordillera Blanca, Peru, involving four lakes and a substantial amount of entrained debris along the path. The documented and reconstructed flow patterns are reproduced in a largely satisfactory way in the sense of empirical adequacy. However, small variations in the uncertain parameters can fundamentally influence the behaviour of the process chain through threshold effects and positive feedbacks. Forward simulations of possible future cascading events will rely on more comprehensive case and parameter studies, but particularly on the development of appropriate strategies for decision‐making based on uncertain simulation results. © 2017 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.