Invertebrate colonization of leaves and roots within sediments of intermittent Coastal Plain streams across hydrologic phases

Ecological flows between habitats are vital for predicting and understanding structure and function of recipient systems. Ecological flows across riparian areas and headwater intermittent streams are likely to be especially important in many river networks because of the shear extent of these interfaces, their high edge-to-width ratio, and the alternation of wet and dry conditions in intermittent channels. While there has been substantial research supporting the importance of riparian-stream linkages above-ground, comparatively less research has investigated below-ground linkages. We tested the hypothesis that riparian roots are colonized by invertebrates as a food source within stream beds of intermittent headwater streams. We compared benthic invertebrate assemblages colonizing three types of buried substrates (leaves, roots, and plastic roots) among three intermittent Coastal Plain streams, each with a different riparian management treatment (clearcut, thinned, and reference), over a 1-year period. Invertebrate density was significantly lower in root litterbags than in plastic roots litterbags, but neither differed from densities in leaf litterbags. Total invertebrate abundances, however, were significantly higher in leaf and root litterbags compared to abundances in plastic root litterbags. Invertebrate biomass and richness did not vary among substrates, but invertebrate density, abundance, and richness all declined from the wet phase (September–December) through the dry phase (June–August). Meiofauna and aquatic dipterans were the primary colonizing invertebrates during the wet phase. Relative abundance of terrestrial taxa increased during the dry phase, but their absolute abundance remained lower than aquatic taxa during the wet phase. Invertebrate composition did not differ among substrate types, but was significantly different among streams and time periods. Cumulative number of dry days, degree days, and redox depth all strongly correlated with assemblage structure as indicated by ordination scores. Our results suggest that subsurface invertebrates respond to leaves and roots as food sources, but assemblage composition is not substrate specific. Colonization of leaves and roots within stream beds by aquatic and terrestrial taxa supports the idea that headwater intermittent streams are important interfaces for the reciprocal exchange of energy and materials between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.     

Bayesian maximum entropy approach and its applications: a review

The present paper reviews the conceptual framework and development of the Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) approach. BME has been considered as a significant breakthrough and contribution to applied stochastics by introducing an improved, knowledge-based modeling framework for spatial and spatiotemporal information. In this work, one objective is the overview of distinct BME features. By offering a foundation free of restrictive assumptions that limit comparable techniques, an ability to integrate a variety of prior knowledge bases, and rigorous accounting for both exact and uncertain data, the BME approach was coined as introducing modern spatiotemporal geostatistics. A second objective is to illustrate BME applications and adoption within numerous different scientific disciplines. We summarize examples and real-world studies that encompass the perspective of science of the total environment, including atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and ecosphere, while also noting applications that extend beyond these fields. The broad-ranging application track suggests BME as an established, valuable tool for predictive spatial and space–time analysis and mapping. This review concludes with the present status of BME, and tentative paths for future methodological research, enhancements, and extensions.     

Sedimentary and geochemical evidence of Eocene climate change in the Xining Basin,northeastern Tibetan Plateau

The northeastern Tibetan Plateau began to grow during the Eocene and it is important to understand the climatic history of Asia during this period of so-called ‘doubthouse' conditions. However, despite major advances in the last few decades,the evolutionary history and possible mechanisms of Eocene climate change in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau remain unclear.The Xining Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau contains a continuous sequence of Early to Late Eocene non-marine sediments which provides the opportunity to resolve long-term climate changes during this period. In this study, we report the results of analyses of lithofacies, sediment color and geochemistry of bulk samples collected from the Xijigou section of the Xining Basin. An abrupt lithofacies change between the Early(~52–40 Ma) and Late Eocene(~40–34 Ma) indicates a change in the depositional environment from a shallow lake to a playa lake in response to a significant climatic shift. During ~52–40 Ma,higher values of sediment redness(a*), redness/lightness(a*/L*) and higher modified Chemical Index of Weathering(CIW′)indicate a relatively warm and humid climate, while from ~40–34 Ma the lower values of a*, a*/L*and lower CIW′ imply subhumid to semi-arid climatic conditions. The paleoclimatic records indicate a long-term(~52–34 Ma) trend of decreasing chemical weathering, consistent with global climate change. An abrupt sharp excursion of the proxy records during ~42–40 Ma suggests a relatively brief warm interval, corresponding to the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum(MECO). We suggest that global cooling substantially reduced humidity in inner Asia, resulting in sub-humid to semi-arid climatic conditions after 40 Ma in the Xining Basin, which may have been responsible for the long-term trend of decreasing chemical weathering during the Eocene.     

Evaluating coastal scenery using fuzzy logic: Application at selected sites in Western Black Sea coastal region of Turkey

Coastal areas of the world are under treat due to the conflicting requirements of functions such as habitation and/or recreation, which affect the strategic asset of coastal scenery itself. Coastal managers, together with planners, need coastal landscape inventories, where the quality of coastal scenery is a part of the inventory. In order to provide an evidence-based approach for sound coastal management decisions, [Ergin et al., 2004] and [Ergin et al., 2006] developed a novel technique ‘coastal scenic evaluation’ (CSE), which addresses the evaluation of coastal scenery. The CSE technique utilizes fuzzy logic to derive values obtained from a checklist of 26 physical and human parameters. The methodology enables the calculation of an evaluation index (D), which categorizes the scenic values of coastal sites into five distinct classes. Using this technique, coastal scenic evaluations were carried out at 34 selected sites on the Western Black Sea coast of Turkey. Based on the calculated D values, a five-class differentiation was obtained for the selected sites, to provide baseline information for any envisaged subsequent management plans for these areas.     

Improving strategies with constraints regarding non-Gaussian statistics in a three-dimensional variational assimilation method

We assess validity of a Gaussian error assumption, the basic assumption in data assimilation theory, and propose two kinds of constraints regarding non-Gaussian statistics. In the mixed water region (MWR) off the east coast of Japan exhibiting complicated frontal structures, a probability density function (PDF) of subsurface temperature shows double peaks corresponding to the Kuroshio and Oyashio waters. The complicated frontal structures characterized by the temperature PDF sometimes cause large innovations, bringing about a non-Gaussianity of errors. It is also revealed that assimilated results with a standard three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) scheme have some issues in MWR, arising from the non-Gaussianity of errors. The Oyashio water sometimes becomes unrealistically cold. The double peaks seen in the observed temperature PDF are too smoothed. To improve the assimilated field in MWR, we introduce two kinds of constraints, J _c1 and J _c2, which model the observed temperature PDF. The constraint J _c1 prevents the unrealistically cold Oyashio water, and J _c2 intends to reproduce the double peaks. The assimilated fields are significantly improved by using these constraints. The constraint J _c1 effectively reduces the unrealistically cold Oyashio water. The double peaks in the observed temperature PDF are successfully reproduced by J _c2. In addition, not only subsurface temperature but also whole level temperature and salinity (T–S) fields are improved by adopting J _c1 and J _c2 to a multivariate 3DVAR scheme with vertical coupled T–S empirical orthogonal function modes.     

Updated Expressions for Determining Temperatures and Emission Measures from Goes Soft X-Ray Measurements

{We investigate the conversion of the 0.5–4 and 1–8 Å soft X-ray flux measurements made by detectors on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) into temperature and emission measures of coronal plasma using modern spectral models and modern understanding of coronal abundances. In particular, the original analysis by Thomas, Starr and Crannell (1985) is updated to take into account the realization that coronal abundances may be quite different from photospheric abundances. An important result of this analysis is that the derived temperatures and emission measures depend strongly on the assumed abundances even at high temperatures where continuum rather than spectral lines dominates the Sun’s X-ray spectrum. This occurs because the higher coronal abundances mean that most of the continuum is due to free–bound emission processes, not free–free emission, and thus is abundance-dependent. We find significant differences between modern calculations of the temperature response of the flux measurements and the versions currently in use: for a typical flare, emission measures may be up to a factor of 4 smaller than the current software suggests. Derived temperatures are similar for both photospheric and coronal abundances for cool flares (e.g., 15 MK), but for hot flares (e.g., 35 MK) coronal abundances can lead to significantly (~25%) lower temperatures being derived.     

The effect of screening factors and thermonuclear reaction rates in the pre-main sequence evolution of low mass stars

In understanding the nucleosynthesis of the elements in stars, one of the most important quantities is the reaction rate and it must be evaluated in terms of the stellar temperature T, and its determination involves the knowledge of the excitation function σ(E) of the specific nuclear reaction leading to the final nucleus. In this paper, the effect of thermonuclear reaction rates to the pre-main sequence evolution of low mass stars having masses 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 and 1M_⊙ are studied by using our modified Stellar Evolutionary Program.     

Crystallization conditions of peraluminous charnockites: constraints from mineral thermometry and thermodynamic modelling

Most igneous charnockites are interpreted to have crystallized at hot and dry conditions, i.e. at >800?°C and <3 wt.% H₂O and with an important CO₂ component in the system. These charnockites are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous and their formation involves a significant mantle-derived component. This study, in contrast, investigates the crystallization conditions of strongly peraluminous, metasediment-sourced charnockites from the Qinzhou Bay Granitic Complex, South China. To constrain the temperature-melt H₂O crystallization paths for the studied peraluminous charnockites, petrographic characterization was combined with fluid inclusion compositional data, mineral thermometry, and thermodynamic modelling. The uncertainties of the thermodynamic modelling in reconstructing the crystallization conditions of the granitic magmas have been evaluated by comparison between modelled and experimental phase relations for a moderately evolved, peraluminous granite (~70 wt.% SiO₂). The comparison suggests that the modelling reproduces the experimentally derived phase saturation boundaries with uncertainties of 20–60?°C and 0.5–1 wt.% H₂O for systems with ≤1–2 wt.% initial melt H₂O at ~0.2 GPa. For the investigated natural systems, the thermometric estimates and modelling indicate that orthopyroxene crystallized at relatively low temperature (750–790?±?30?°C) and moderately high to high melt H₂O content (3.5–5.6?±?0.5 wt.%). The charnockites finally solidified at relatively “cold” and “wet” conditions. This suggests that thermodynamic modelling affords a possible approach to constrain charnockite crystallization as tested here for peraluminous, moderately low pressure (≤0.3 GPa), and overall H₂O-poor systems (≤1–2 wt.% H₂O total), but yields results with increasing uncertainty for high-pressure or H₂O-rich granitic systems.     

A geochemical approach to constraining the formation of glassy fallout debris from nuclear tests

Glassy nuclear fallout debris from near-surface nuclear tests is fundamentally reprocessed earth material. A geochemical approach to analysis of glassy fallout is uniquely suited to determine the means of reprocessing and shed light on the mechanisms of fallout formation. An improved understanding of fallout formation is of interest both for its potential to guide post-detonation nuclear forensic investigations and in the context of possible affinities between glassy debris and other glasses generated by high-energy natural events, such as meteorite impacts and lightning strikes. This study presents a large major-element compositional dataset for glasses within aerodynamic fallout from the Trinity nuclear test (“trinitite”) and a geochemically based analysis of the glass compositional trends. Silica-rich and alkali-rich trinitite glasses show compositions and textures consistent with formation through melting of individual mineral grains—quartz and alkali feldspar, respectively—from the test-site sediment. The volumetrically dominant glass phase—called the CaMgFe glass—shows extreme major-element compositional variability. Compositional trends in the CaMgFe glass are most consistent with formation through volatility-controlled condensation from compositionally heterogeneous plasma. Radioactivity occurs only in CaMgFe glass, indicating that co-condensation of evaporated bulk ground material and trace device material was the main mechanism of radioisotope incorporation into trinitite. CaMgFe trinitite glasses overlap compositionally with basalts, rhyolites, fulgurites, tektites, and microtektites but display greater compositional diversity than all of these naturally formed glasses. Indeed, the most refractory CaMgFe glasses compositionally resemble early solar system condensates—specifically, CAIs.