Impact of soil and water conservation measures on catchment hydrological response—a case in north Ethiopia

Impact studies of catchment management in the developing world rarely include detailed hydrological components. Here, changes in the hydrological response of a 200‐ha catchment in north Ethiopia are investigated. The management included various soil and water conservation measures such as the construction of dry masonry stone bunds and check dams, the abandonment of post‐harvest grazing, and the establishment of woody vegetation. Measurements at the catchment outlet indicated a runoff depth of 5 mm or a runoff coefficient (RC) of 1·6% in the rainy season of 2006. Combined with runoff measurements at plot scale, this allowed calculating the runoff curve number (CN) for various land uses and land management techniques. The pre‐implementation runoff depth was then predicted using the CN values and a ponding adjustment factor, representing the abstraction of runoff induced by the 242 check dams in gullies. Using the 2006 rainfall depths, the runoff depth for the 2000 land management situation was predicted to be 26·5 mm (RC = 8%), in line with current RCs of nearby catchments. Monitoring of the ground water level indicated a rise after catchment management. The yearly rise in water table after the onset of the rains (ΔT) relative to the water surplus (WS) over the same period increased between 2002–2003 (ΔT/WS = 3·4) and 2006 (ΔT/WS >11·1). Emerging wells and irrigation are other indicators for improved water supply in the managed catchment. Cropped fields in the gullies indicate that farmers are less frightened for the destructive effects of flash floods. Due to increased soil water content, the crop growing period is prolonged. It can be concluded that this catchment management has resulted in a higher infiltration rate and a reduction of direct runoff volume by 81% which has had a positive influence on the catchment water balance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A deuterium-hydrogen fractionation mechanism in magnesium oxide

Water dissolved in a nominally anhydrous oxide like MgO forms not only OH^? ions, as is usually assumed, but also molecular H₂ and peroxy anions O₂^2?. The specific lattice site where this reaction occurs has been identified for the model-type MgO structure: it is the fully OH^? compensated cation vacancy. In partially deuterated synthetic MgO, molecular D₂ forms preferentially to H₂, by a factor of the order of 4. Three methods have been used to study this very large D/H fractionation experimentally: mass spectrometry, electron spin resonance and infrared spectroscopy. All give consistent results and confirm that internal D/H fractionation occurs and is a function of the temperature. Theoretically the D/H fractionation is explained by the lower zeropoint energy of D₂ with respect to H₂, amplified by secondary processes through which the molecular hydrogen species become mobilized and eventually lost via diffusion. The possible consequences of such internal D/H fractionation processes are indicated for the interpretation of water and hydrogen release patterns, with varying D/H ratios, from terrestrial and extraterrestrial samples.     

Lead-210 sediment geochronology in a changing coastal environment

Sediment accumulation rate studies utilizing excess ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs were conducted as part of recent investigations of biogeochemical cycling at a single site in Cape Lookout Bight, a rapidly changing coastal basin on the Outer Banks of North Carolina (U.S.A.). Cores three meters in length reveal a depositional history for the bight interior characterized by a gradual transition in texture from coarse-grained to fine-grained material over the period 1946–1979. This transition is controlled by progressive enclosure of the bight by an active northerly migrating recurved spit. The textural gradation is periodically interrupted by layers of well-sorted sand associated with major storm events. Lead-210 data indicate that the upper meter of the sediment has accumulated at a rate of 3.35 to 4.71 g · cm^?2 · yr^?1 or approximately 8.4 to 11.8 cm · yr^?1 (at ø = 0.84). Below 120 cm depth, dilution of clay and silt by low activity sand necessitates correction of the ²¹⁰Pb profile in order to establish a geochronology. Grain size ²¹⁰Pb distribution measurements at three depths reveal that the specific activity (dpm · g^?1) of clay is 3.2 times that of silt and 24.7 times that of sand. Corrections of bulk sediment excess ²¹⁰Pb activities based on these measurements lead to dates for textural changes which are consistent with charted changes in basin morphology and major storm events.Sixteen ¹³⁷Cs measurements between 33–241 cm depth reveal a peak activity at 105–115 cm and indicate a minimum sedimentation rate of approximately 2.7 g · cm^?2 · yr^?1.     

Global Change and Human Health: Reviews on Globalisation, Environmental Change and Health

Foreword

Global Change and Human Health: Reviews on Globalisation, Environmental Change and Health     

Sulfur in peat-forming systems of the Okefenokee Swamp and Florida Everglades: origins of sulfur in coal

Six sulfur forms were investigated in profiles of freshwater- and marine-derived peat-forming systems of the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia and Everglades Swamp, Florida. Total sulfur levels of 0.1–10% were found, thus indicating a major incorporation of sulfur in the very early stages of coal formation. The quantities of hydrogen sulfide and elemental sulfur observed appeared to be indicative of whether marine or freshwater conditions prevailed at the site of deposition. Carbon-bonded sulfur accounted for 70% of the total sulfur in the freshwater peat and 50% of the total sulfur in the marine peat. Over 15% of the total sulfur was in pyritic combination in the marine environment, while levels of pyrite in the freshwater peats were an order of magnitude lower. An ester-sulfate fraction represented 25% of the total sulfur in both freshwater and marine peats. The levels of sulfur forms in the peat profiles are compared to those observed in living plants and to various coals; levels of pyrite and organic sulfur in the peat are similar to those found by other investigators in freshwater-derived and marine-derived coals.     

Preflare energy build-up in a filament circuit

The two-dimensional Van Tend and Kuperus (1978) scenario for pre-flare energy build-up is extended to a fully three-dimensional model and applied to the 16 May, 1981 flare observed at Debrecen. It is shown that there is plenty of free energy (10³³ erg) available to explain the ensuing large two-ribbon flare. This estimate is an order of magnitude larger than the simple estimate made by Van Tend, as a result of the three-dimensional character of the present model. It is further confirmed that the global form of the preflare circuit is decisive for determining the amount of energy stored in the preflare configuration, while the internal structure of the filament is of little importance. This is in accordance with the similar claims of Alfvén and Van Tend and Kuperus.Order of magnitude estimates are derived for all the lumped circuit parameters of the preflare filament-return current circuit; self-inductance, resistance, current strength, and applied voltage. It is found that the model gives correct predictions for the independently observed photospheric flow velocity and current strength in filaments.NAS/NRC Resident Research Associate.     

The Trace Telescope Point Spread Function for the 171 Å Filter

We perform an analysis of the TRACE telescope blur from EUV images. Theblur pattern is discussed in terms of the telescope point-spread function (PSF) for the 171 Å filter. The analysis performed consists of two steps. First, an initial shape for the PSF core is determined directly from TRACE EUV images. Second, the blind-deconvolution method is used for obtaining the final PSF shape. The PSF core peak is fitted by analytical functions to determine its parametric characteristics. The determined PSF includes the core central peak and peaks caused by diffraction effects inherent in TRACE EUV data. The diffraction portion of the PSF is studied theoretically in the Fraunhofer diffraction limit. The temperature dependence of the TRACE PSF shape is investigated for a selected temperature range. We also discuss general properties of the obtained PSF and its possible applications.     

Karyological and Ecological Evolution of the Monocelididae (Platyhelminthes, Proseriata)

Abstract. The karyology and ecology of 76 species of Monocelididae arc discussed. Species with a basic karyotype are mainly limited to low dynamic subtidal areas: this is considered to be the ancestral habitat of the group. From there, parallel evolution resulted in colonization of more stressed environments. In all lineages, the colonization of new environments is correlated with karyotype rearrangements such as translocations and Robertsonian mechanisms of fusion and fission.     

Determination of volatile fatty acid turnover rates in organic-rich marine sediments

Volatile fatty acid (VFA) apparent turnover rates in organic-rich marine sediments were determined by measuring whole sediment VFA concentration and the corresponding first-order reaction rate constants. In order to measure VFA concentrations, bulk wet sediment samples were basified, freeze-dried, extracted with methanol, derivatized to form methyl esters of the VFAs, and analyzed by packed-column gas chromatography using hexanoic acid as an internal standard. The detection limits for acetate, propionate, iso-butyrate and butyrate were 1.0, 0.4, 0.2 and 0.2 μmol l^?1_s, respectively, for 600 ml samples. Rate constants for acetate and propionate were determined by anaerobically incubating samples at in-situ temperatures with tracer levels of ¹⁴C-labelled VFAs. Metabolized label was recovered as CO₂, CH₄, cellular material, water-soluble material, and VFA (ether-soluble) fractions. Apparent turnover rates measured during summer and winter in anoxic Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina (U.S.A.) sediments were in the range of 19–330 μmol l^?1_s h^?1 for acetate and 0.7–7.0 μmol l^?1_s h^?1 for propionate.