Seasonal and spatial changes in the zooplankton community of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

Seasonal changes in the zooplankton composition of the glacially influenced Kongsfjorden, Svalbard (79°N, 12°E), and its adjacent shelf were studied in 2002. Samples were collected in the spring, summer and autumn in stratified hauls (according to hydrographic characteristics), by means of a 0.180-mm Multi Plankton Sampler. A strong front between the open sea and the fjord waters was observed during the spring, preventing water mass exchange, but was not observed later in the season. The considerable seasonal changes in zooplankton abundance were related to the seasonal variation in hydrographical regime. The total zooplankton abundance during the spring (40–2010 individuals m⁻³) was much lower than in the summer and autumn (410–10 560 individuals m⁻³). The main factors shaping the zooplankton community in the fjord include: the presence of a local front, advection, the flow pattern and the decreasing depth of the basin in the inner fjord. Presumably these factors regulate the gross pattern of zooplankton density and distribution, and override the importance of biological processes. This study increased our understanding of seasonal processes in fjords, particularly with regard to the strong seasonal variability in the Arctic.     

A multiyear analysis of aerosol optical thickness over Europe and Central Poland using NAAPS model simulation

This study contains a comparative analysis of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) between numerical calculations obtained from the Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) model and direct observations from the AERONET robotic network and the Saharan Aerosol over WArsaw (SAWA) field campaign. AOT was calculated for 500 nm wavelength. The comparison shows underestimation of the total aerosol optical thickness simulated by NAAPS. The correlation coefficients between model and observation oscillates between 0.57 and 0.72. Results of seven-year (1998–2004) NAAPS simulation of aerosol components (sea salt, mineral dust, sulphate, and smoke) show large temporal and spatial variability of the aerosol optical thickness over Europe. The least polluted region is the Iberian Peninsula, while the highest aerosol burdens occurred in Central Europe, mostly due to anthropogenic sulphate particles. Finally, the analysis of mineral dust transport shows frequent episodes of Saharan dust inflow over Central Europe. There are about 20 days a year (4 days in May) when instantaneous AOT associated with mineral dust aerosol increases over 0.1.     

The formation of fan-deltas in mountain lakes: Findings from Zelené Kežmarské Lake (Slovakia)

Fan-deltas are formed in mountain lakes, contributing to changes in shorelines' shapes and filling lake basins with sediments. Factors that condition sediment delivery to the lakes and the formation of fan-deltas are not fully understood. This study aims to identify processes forming fan-deltas in mountain lakes based on the sedimentary architecture of a fan-delta filling Zelené Kežmarské Lake (Slovakia). Our study is based on ground-penetrating radar and seismic refraction surveys conducted over the lake and debris-flow fans in its vicinity, and grain-size analyses of the surface deposits. The internal structure of the fan-delta comprises foreset deposits representing the fan-delta lobes. Mouth bars were identified in the near-shore zone. The fan-delta is built of sands and silty sands whereas an alluvial debris-flow dominated fan west of the lake contains gravels. A general trend of downslope fining of the fan surface sediments, disturbed by zones of coarse gravels, was identified in the surficial sediments forming the fan. The fan-delta was formed by depositional events in humid periods, alternating with dry periods featured with a small or no deposition. The lake-level steadily rose in the humid periods and remained stable in dry periods. The contrast between the coarse sediments forming the alluvial debris-flow dominated fan, and sands forming the fan-delta was caused by a selective deposition. Coarse gravels in the fan were mobilized in humid periods but did not reach the lake-shore. The reason was a basement rock ridge situated parallel to the lake shore. Sands were delivered to the fan-delta in humid periods owing to frequent high-energy flows. A deposition of silts took place in dry periods. The studied fan-delta might preserve the sedimentary record of three humid periods from the last 200 years. However, further studies are needed to establish the timing of the fan-delta formation.     

Slope processes in the High Arctic: a 30‐year‐long record from Spitsbergen

Ten monitoring sites were established in 1986 near the Scottbreen and Renardbreen glaciers (Bellsund, Spitsbergen) in order to determine the rates of gelifluction on raised marine terraces and on talus cones, accumulation on talus cones, and movement of the protalus rampart. The measurements were performed in 1987, 2007 and 2016. The results obtained revealed a very slow rate of changes on the surface of the analysed area. During 30 years, only one out of 84 points where the gelifluction rate was measured was displaced by 15 cm down‐slope. The maximal annual and average gelifluction rates were calculated at 0.5 cm and 0.18 cm a^?1, respectively. Several measurement points did not change their position over the observation period. As shown by the observations, the gelifluction rate largely does not depend on slope inclination. Studies of talus cones allowed the level of cone increment to be determined as 314.3 kg of scree per square metre. Analysis of factors influencing the rate of mass movement allowed for correlation of the small‐scale gelifluction movement at the analysed sites with the general trends of climate warming. In this part of the Arctic, these trends are manifested by soil desiccation. It appears that slope processes depend on very local topoclimatic factors. Analysis of the obtained data with regard to palaeogeographical and climatic investigations suggests that the ice segregation forms on raised marine terraces developed during the last Holocene cooling, i.e. the Little Ice Age.     

Free core nutation period inferred from the gravity measurements at Józefosław

The Free Core Nutation (FCN) is an important eigenmode which affects both Earth rotation and body tide. The FCN parameters, the resonance period and the quality factor are important for understanding the dynamics of the Earth at nearly diurnal periods. Those parameters are usually estimated either from the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of nutation, or from the tidal gravity measurements. In this paper we investigate the determination of the FCN parameters from gravity records covering a period of more than three years, collected with the use of a LaCoste&Romberg Earth Tide no. 26 gravimeter, located at Józefos?aw observatory near Warsaw. From the resonant enhancements of gravimetric factors and phases of diurnal tidal gravity waves, we could infer the FCN period to be equal to 430 sidereal days. This result is in very good agreement with previous gravimetric and VLBI nutation results, confirming the discrepancy in the dynamic flattening of the outer liquid core from its theoretical value based on the hydrostatic equilibrium assumption. The estimated FCN quality factor (Q ≈ 1300) is considerably smaller than the VLBI nutation result, which confirms that the local gravity measurements are more sensitive than VLBI global analyses to site-dependent phenomena (such as atmospheric and indirect ocean tidal effects). We also investigated the importance of gravimetric corrections in the FCN analysis, including numerical tests and simulations. This allowed us to estimate the uncertainty of FCN parameters due to improper or incomplete set of environmental corrections. We took also into account the impact of gravimetric factor errors and tidal wave selection on estimated FCN parameters. We demonstrated that despite relatively noisy measurements due to unfavorable gravimeter location, we were able to obtain very good results in case when proper correction and tidal wave selection were applied.     

Evolution of river planforms downstream of dams: Effect of dam construction or earlier human‐induced changes?

When studying the evolution of landscape, it is difficult to discriminate the influence of anthropogenic from natural causes, or recognise changes caused by different sources of human action. This is especially challenging when the influence of certain sources is overprinted. For instance, although dam closure is the most common method of altering river courses, dam construction is often preceded by hydro‐technical works such as channel straightening, embankment construction or sediment mining. Both dam construction and the hydro‐technical works that precede dam closure can result in changes in the balance between sediment supply and transport capacity, and often, changes in river planform. The main objective of this study was to verify whether the works preceding dam closure are an important driver of river planform changes on the lower Drava River (Hungary). The case study is based on geological and geophysical surveys, as well as the analysis of historical maps covering an anabranching, 23 km long valley section. We show that channel straightening conducted prior to dam closure resulted in a transition from a meandering to sinuous planform with channel bars. Dam construction itself then caused enhanced incision, exposure of bar surfaces, vegetation encroachment and the formation of an anabranching planform. Based on this study, we developed models of alluvial island and channel planform evolution downstream of dams. Dam construction enhances channel incision, narrowing, and the reduction of flow caused by earlier hydro‐technical works. Many rivers downstream of dams experience episodes of anabranching or wandering, with a multi‐thread pattern replacing sinuous, braided and meandering courses. When incision continues, river patterns evolve from anabranching to sinuous via the attachment of alluvial islands to floodplains. However, the timing and sequence of these changes depend on hydrological and sediment supply regimes, geomorphic settings and anthropogenic actions accompanying dam construction. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tectonic plates parameters estimated in International Terrestrial Reference Frame ITRF2008 based on DORIS stations

This paper concerns an analysis of the accuracy of the estimated parameters Ω (Φ, Λ, ω) which define the tectonic plate motions. The study is based on the velocities of station positions in the IERS (International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service) which has published new realization of the International Terrestrial Reference System—ITRF2008 for Doppler Orbitography by Radiopositioning Integrated on Satellite DORIS technique. Eurasian, African, Australian, North American, Australian, Pacific, Antarctic and South American plates were used in the analysis. The influence of the number and localization of stations on the plate surface on the estimation accuracy of the tectonic plate motion parameters were discussed. The results were compared with the APKIM 2005 IGN model and our earlier estimation for the SLR technique. In general, a remarkable concurrent agreement between the present and the APKIM 2005 solutions was found.     

Surge dynamics of Aavatsmarkbreen,Svalbard, inferred from the geomorphological record

This study investigated the surge dynamics of Aavatsmarkbreen, a glacier in Svalbard and its geomorphological impact based on remote sensing data and field observations. The main objective was to analyse and classify subglacial and supraglacial landforms in the context of glacial deformation and basal sliding over a thin layer of thawed, water‐saturated deposits. The study also focused on the geomorphological evidence of surge‐related sub‐ and supraglacial crevassing and glacier front fracturing. From 2006 to 2013, the average recession of Aavatsmarkbreen was 363 m (52 m a⁻¹). A subsequent surge during 2013–2015 resulted in a substantial advance of the glacier front of over 1 km and an increase in its surface area of more than 2 km². The surface of Aavatsmarkbreen was severely fractured. Significant ice‐flow acceleration was noted whereby the highest surface velocity reached 4.9 m day⁻¹. The ephemeral water‐escape structures and mini‐flutings on the fine‐grained till surface that formed during the surge are indicative of high subglacial pore‐water pressure and enhanced basal sliding. Two genetic types of clast pavements occur in the marginal zone of Aavatsmarkbreen. The results of this study will help to constrain glaciological and geomorphological processes involved in surge phenomena. Understanding the scale and effects of these processes provides insight into the behaviour of fast‐flowing glaciers and ice streams and reveals their relationships with external factors.