Characteristics of concentrated flow hydraulics for rangeland ecosystems: implications for hydrologic modeling

Concentrated flow is often the dominant source of water erosion following disturbance on rangelands. Because of the lack of studies that explain the hydraulics of concentrated flow on rangelands, cropland‐based equations have typically been used for rangeland hydrology and erosion modeling, leading to less accurate predictions due to different soil and vegetation cover characteristics. This study investigates the hydraulics of concentrated flow using unconfined field experimental data over diverse rangeland landscapes within the Great Basin Region, United States. The results imply that the overall hydraulics of concentrated flow on rangelands differ significantly from those of cropland rills. Concentrated flow hydraulics on rangelands are largely controlled by the amount of cover or bare soil and hillslope angle. New predictive equations for concentrated flow velocity (R² = 0·47), hydraulic friction (R² = 0·52), and width (R² = 0·4) representing a diverse set of rangeland environments were developed. The resulting equations are applicable across a wide span of ecological sites, soils, slopes, and vegetation and ground cover conditions and can be used by physically‐based rangeland hydrology and erosion models to estimate rangeland concentrated flow hydraulic parameters. Published in 2011. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Book Review of Accretion Power in Astrophysics (3rd Edition) by Juhan Frank,Andrew King,Derek Raine Cambridge University Press, 2002, XIV+384 pp., £27.95, hardback (ISBN 0 521 62053 8), paperback (ISBN 0 521 62957 8).

The velocity, pressure, perturbation magnetic field, helicity and electromotive force driven by an isolated buoyant parcel in an unbounded, rapidly rotating, electrically conducting fluid in the limit of small Elsasser number and very small Ekman number are calculated, visualized and analyzed. On the scale of the parcel, the solution is identical to that obtained in the limit of small Ekman number and zero Elsasser number. On the scale of the Taylor-column, it is elongated in the direction of the applied magnetic field and compressed in the direction perpendicular to it. The α-effect calculated by averaging the electromotive force on planes normal to rotation is strongly anisotropic: near the parcel and in the inner part of the Taylor-column it is strongest when the applied magnetic field is perpendicular to rotation and gravity; in the outer part of the Taylor-column it is strongest when the applied magnetic field is in the same plane as rotation and gravity.     

Assessing future risk: quantifying the effects of sea level rise on storm surge risk for the southern shores of Long Island, New York

Sea level rise threatens to increase the impacts of future storms and hurricanes on coastal communities. However, many coastal hazard mitigation plans do not consider sea level rise when assessing storm surge risk. Here we apply a GIS-based approach to quantify potential changes in storm surge risk due to sea level rise on Long Island, New York. We demonstrate a method for combining hazard exposure and community vulnerability to spatially characterize risk for both present and future sea level conditions using commonly available national data sets. Our results show that sea level rise will likely increase risk in many coastal areas and will potentially create risk where it was not before. We find that even modest and probable sea level rise (.5 m by 2080) vastly increases the numbers of people (47% increase) and property loss (73% increase) impacted by storm surge. In addition, the resulting maps of hazard exposure and community vulnerability provide a clear and useful example of the visual representation of the spatial distribution of the components of risk that can be helpful for developing targeted hazard mitigation and climate change adaptation strategies. Our results suggest that coastal agencies tasked with managing storm surge risk must consider the effects of sea level rise if they are to ensure safe and sustainable coastal communities in the future.     

Atypical stratiform sulfide-poor platinum-group element mineralisation in the Agnew – Wiluna Belt komatiites,Wiluna, Western Australia

A new style of komatiite-associated sulfide-poor platinum-group element (PGE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd) mineralisation has been identified at Wiluna in the strongly nickel sulfide (NiS) mineralised Agnew – Wiluna Greenstone Belt, Western Australia. The komatiite sequence at Wiluna is ～200 m thick and comprises a basal pyroxenite layer, a thick ortho-to-mesocumulate-textured peridotite core, which is overlain by rhythmically layered wehrlite, oikocrystic pyroxenite and thick upper gabbroic margins. Pegmatoid and dendritic (harrisitic) domains are common features, whereas spinifex-textured horizons and flow-top breccias are absent. The presence of anomalous PGE-enriched horizons (ΣPt – Pd = 200 – 500 ppb) in the oikocrystic pyroxenite and in the layered melagabbro and gabbronorite horizons directly overlying the wehrlite unit is due to the presence of fine-grained (1 – 10 μm) platinum-group minerals (PGMs). More than 70 PGM grains were identified, and a considerable mineralogical variability was constrained. However, only Pd – Pt-bearing phases were identified, whereas no Ir – Ru-bearing PGMs were found in any of the sections examined. Interestingly, all PGMs are not in paragenetic association with sulfides, and only sulfide-poor/free intervals contain significant PGM concentrations. The whole-rock PGE sequence largely reflects the PGM distribution. It is hypothesised that the Pd – Pt enrichment in the oikocrystic pyroxenite and melagabbros and the overall Ir – Ru depletion in the upper mafic section of the sequence are the result of extensive olivine and chromite crystallisation in the basal ultramafic section. PGE saturation was driven by extensive crystallisation of silicate and oxide phases in a sulfide-undersaturated environment. The crystallisation of clinopyroxene in the oikocrystic pyroxenite horizon may have triggered the formation of Pt – Pd-bearing alloys and arsenides, which were the first PGMs to form. Stratiform sulfide-poor PGE mineralisation at Wiluna is more similar in stratigraphic setting, style and composition to PGE-rich sulfide-poor mineralisation zones in thick differentiated intrusions, rather than to other PGE-enriched zones in komatiite-hosted systems, where PGE enrichment is directly associated with accumulations of magmatic sulfides.     

Estimating contamination potential at waste-disposal sites using a natural tracer

Chloride is a conservative, natural tracer found in precipitation, soil water, and groundwater. The chloride mass-balance approach, long used to estimate groundwater recharge, also provides a downward flux of moisture and solute at sites where there is a potential for groundwater contamination. The flux is obtained by dividing the product of the mean annual precipitation and total annual chloride input (via precipitation and dust) by the mean soil-water chloride content. Chlorideversusdepth profiles can also be used to determine optimum depth of waste burial to minimize deterioration of waste containers. The method has been applied to three sites in arid alluvial-basin settings in New Mexico, U.S.A.: a proposed landfill, a battery recycling plant, and a hazardous-waste disposal facility. It is concluded that the method is reliable, economical, and practical. Furthermore, it can be applied at any stage in the development of a site. The chloride method should apply in any recharge area where the base of the root zone is separated from the water table by at least 3 m or so and chloride in soil water comes only from precipitation and dust.     

The Falkland Islands’ palaeoecological response to millennial‐scale climate perturbations during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition: Implications for future vegetation stability in the southern ocean islands

Oceanic island flora is vulnerable to future climate warming, which is likely to promote changes in vegetation composition, and invasion of non‐native species. Sub‐Antarctic islands are predicted to experience rapid warming during the next century; therefore, establishing trajectories of change in vegetation communities is essential for developing conservation strategies to preserve biological diversity. We present a Late‐glacial‐early Holocene (16 500–6450 cal a bp ) palaeoecological record from Hooker's Point, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Atlantic. This period spans the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition, providing insight into biological responses to abrupt climate change. Pollen and plant macrofossil records appear insensitive to climatic cooling during the Late‐glacial, but undergo rapid turnover in response to regional warming. The absence of trees throughout the Late‐glacial‐early Holocene enables the recognition of far‐travelled pollen from southern South America. The first occurrence of Nothofagus (southern beech) may reflect changes in the strength and/or position of the Southern Westerly Wind Belt during the Late‐glacial period. Peat inception and accumulation at Hooker's Point is likely to be promoted by the recalcitrant litter of wind‐adapted flora. This recalcitrant litter helps to explain widespread peatland development in a comparatively dry environment, and suggests that wind‐adapted peatlands can remain carbon sinks even under low precipitation regimes. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Linear dune accumulation chronologies from the southwest Kalahari, Namibia: challenges of reconstructing late Quaternary palaeoenvironments from aeolian landforms

The linear dunes of the southern Kalahari dunefield constitute one of the major palaeoenvironmental proxies in the region. The application of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating since the1990s and advancements in the depth of sampling using augering equipment over the past few years have permitted the reconstruction of linear dune accumulation chronostratigraphies for entire dune profiles from base to crest. These methods are applied to four dunes in the Mariental–Stampriet region of the southern Kalahari dunefield, sampled at predominantly 0.5 m intervals. Individual dunes record multiple phases of dune construction, but with only a few phases recorded consistently between two or more of the dunes. Results from the 48 OSL ages produced here extend the aeolian accumulation record for the southern Kalahari dunefield through the last three glacial–interglacial cycles with two ages from the early part of MIS6. A synthesis of all existing luminescence ages for the southern Kalahari reveals that the dunefield has been partially active throughout much of the past 120 ka. There are no clear clusters of ages within OSL age errors. This is in contrast to previous syntheses of ages for this region. In addition, these new data from Mariental–Stampriet dunes show that clusters in grouped dune OSL ages can be spuriously produced as a function of reducing the sampling frequency with depth within the dunes, from 0.5 to 1 mintervals. This has significant implications for previous conclusions regarding discrete phases of aeolian accumulation based on sampling at 1 m intervals and less vertically intensive sampling techniques. The total luminescence data set of 136 ages for the southern Kalahari implies that this dunefield has been close to the threshold of reactivation throughout much of the late Quaternary.     

Platinum-group mineral occurrence associated with flow top amygdule sulfides in komatiitic basalt,Abitibi Greenstone Belt,Ontario

Summary Platinum-group mineral (PGM)-bearing amygdule Fe-Ni(±Cu) sulfide has been discovered in samples of amygdaloidal basalt and underlying olivine spinifex-textured basalt from the flow top of Fred's Flow, Munro Township, Ontario. The amygdules are rounded to slightly elongate in shape, up to 10 mm in diameter, filled by chlorite + quartz ± carbonate ± sulfide, and rimmed by relict igneous chromite and clinopyroxene. The sulfide occurs as masses that line and are embedded in the margins of the amygdules. Detailed electron microprobe studies indicate that the sulfide masses are fairly constant (21±4 mol% NiS) in bulk composition and consist of pyrrhotite and pentlandite (Ni-rich) ± minor chalcopyrite rare PGM. The sulfide phases show lamellar intergrowth and are embayed against chlorite. The PGM observed are grains of merenskyite (PdTe₂), kotulskite (PdTe), and sperrylite (PtAs₂) that are up to 10 m in size, multi-faceted against sulfide, and embayed against chlorite. Whole-rock analyses of the amygdaloidal basalt host rock show strong enrichments in platinum-group elements (PGE + Au = 330 ppb), Ni, Cu, S, and Cr.The textures and spatial associations indicate a genetic relationship between the PGM-bearing sulfide masses and the amygdules. Density considerations, the very close spatial association with the amygdules (vesicles), and the marked enrichment in PGE and related metals and S in the amygdaloidal basalt host rock contradict formation of the sulfide masses as droplets of immiscible sulfide liquid separated from silicate melt. The alteration of the sulfide masses, their association with the vesiculation structures rather than with the pervasive hydrothermal alteration phase assemblage, and lack of evidence for enrichment of Cu and chalcopyrite relative to Ni and Fe-Ni sulfide are inconsistent with formation of the sulfide masses by hydrothermal alteration processes. Alternatively, the mineralogical, textural, spatial association, and whole-rock compositional features can be explained by an igneous degassing-metal diffusion model. It is suggested that prior to emplacement, sulfurous vapor separates from the lava to form vesicles, which float upward to the flow top. Diffusion of PGE and related metals from the lava toward the vesicles as they float upward and reaction of the metals with S within the vesicles forms Fe-Ni-Cu sulfide liquid on the vesicle walls. On quenching, vesicles are trapped in the flow top and the sulfide liquid within them solidifies and sulfide phases and PGM exsolve in the subsolidus.

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Platingruppenminerale mit Flowtop Sulfiden in komatiitischem Basalt, Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Ontario

Zusammenfassung Platingruppenmineral (PGM)-führende Sulfide sind in Blasenräumen von Basaltman delsteinen and darunterliegendem Basalt mit Spinifex-Olivin des Fred's Flow, Munro Township, Ontario beobachtet worden. Die Mandeln sind rundlich bis leicht länglich, haben bis zu 10 mm Durchmesser und Bind mit Chlorit + Quarz ± Sulfid ± Karbonat gefüllt und zeigen einen Rand von reliktischem, magmatischem Chromit und Klinopyroxen. Die Sulfide kommen als Massen, die die Ränder der Mandeln bedecken und in these eingebettet sind, vor. Detaillierte Mikrosondenuntersuchungen zeigen, daß die Gesamtzusammensetzung der Sulfide ziemlich konstant ist (21 ± 4 mol % NiS), und daß she aus Magnetkies und nickelreichen Pentlandit ± Chalcopyrit ± seltene PGM bestehen. Die Sulfidphasen zeigen lamellare Verwachsungen und Einbuchtungen gegen Chlorit. Folgende PGM wurden beobachtet: Merenskyit (PdTe2), Kotulskit (PdTe) and Sperrylit (PtAs2), die bis zu 10 gm groß sind, vielflächig gegen die Sulfide, und eingebuchtet gegen den Chlorit erscheinen. Gesamtgesteinsanalysen des basaltischen Muttergesteins zeigen starke Anreicherungen der Platingruppenelemente (PGE + Au = 330 ppb), Ni, Cu, S, und Cr.Die Texturen und räumlichen Assoziationen weisen auf eine genetische Beziehung zwischen den PGM-führenden Sulfidmassen und den Mandeln hin. Die Dichte, die sehr enge räumliche Assoziation mit den Mandeln, und die deutliche Anreicherung von PGE and verwandten Metallen, Bowie von Schwefel, in den basaltischen Muttergesteinen, sprechen gegen eine Bildung der Sulfidmassen als Tröpfchen einer entmischten Sulfidschmelze, die von der Silikatschmelze abgetrennt wurde. Die Umwandlung der Sulfide, ihre Assoziation mit den Mandeln und nicht mit der umfangreichen hydrothermalen Umwandlungsassoziation und fehlende Hinweise für eine Anreicherung von Cu und Kupferkies relativ zu Ni und Fe-Ni Sulfiden, lassen sich nicht mit einer Bildung der Sulfide durch hydrothermale Umwandlungsprozesse vereinbaren.Die mineralogische, texturelle und raumliche Assoziation und die Zusammensetzung der Muttergesteine kann viel eher durch das Modell magmatischer Entgasung mit Metalldiffusion erklärt worden. Wir regen an, daß vor der Platznahme schwefelreiche Dämpfe von der Lava abgetrennt worden sind und Blasen gebildet haben, welche aufwärts bis zum Top des Basaltergusses migrierten. Diffusion der PGE und verwandter Metalle aus der Lava zu den in Bewegung begriffenen Blasen und Reaktion der Metalle mit Schwefel innerhalb der Hohlräume, führte zur Entstehung einer Fe-Ni-Cu-Schwefel-Schmelze an den Wänden der Mandeln. Bei Abkühlung wurden die Hohlräume in dem oberen Teil des Flows fixiert, die Sulfidschmelze verfestigt sich und Sulfidphasen and PGM entmischen sich im Subsolidus.

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With 7 Figures     

Use of submerged aquatic vegetation as habitat by young-of-the-year epibenthic fishes in shallow Maine nearshore waters

Epibenthic fishes were collected with daytime beam trawl tows (n = 1713) in three shallow (<10 m) habitats of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), Zostera marina (eelgrass), Laminaria longicruris (kelp), Phyllophora sp. (algae), and unvegetated sandy/mud areas. We divided the Maine coast into three broad zones based upon geological features and sampled over five consecutive years; during April–November 2000 in the mid coast, in 2001 and 2002 along the south coast and in 2003 and 2004 along the eastern Maine coast. We quantified habitat use by eight economically important fish species (Gadus morhua, Microgadus tomcod, Pollachius virens, Urophycis chuss, Urophycis tenuis, Osmerus mordax, Tautogolabrus adspersus, and Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and 10 other common epibenthic species (n = 18 571). We identified the physical and biological variables most important in discriminating between habitats with and without individual fish species. Logistic regression models based on nearshore habitat characteristics were developed to predict the distribution of these species along the three zones representing broad geological regions of the Maine coast. Logistic regression models correctly classified individual fish species 58.7–97.1% of the time based on the temporal and physical habitat variables (month, temperature, salinity, and depth) and the presence–absence of submerged aquatic vegetation (Zostera, Laminaria, or Phyllophora). Overall fish presence and economically important fish presence were correctly classified 61.1–79.8% and 66.0–73.6% of the time, respectively. The Maine shallow water fish community was composed primarily of young-of-the-year and juvenile fishes with all habitats functioning as facultative nursery areas. Presence of most fish species was positively associated with Zostera, Laminaria, and to a lesser extent, Phyllophora. This study provides direct evidence of shallow waters of the Gulf of Maine as critical facultative nursery habitat for juvenile G. morhua, M. tomcod, P. virens, U. tenuis, U. chuss, T. adspersus, O. mordax and P. americanus, and many ecologically important species.