Linking geomorphology and hydrodynamics: a case study from Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina

A case study is presented to assess the relevance of geomorphology in hydrogeological phenomena in an arid coastal area in the Argentinean extra-Andean Patagonia (Península Valdés) with an average rainfall of 232 mm/year and a soil moisture deficit of about 472 mm/year. Various geomorphic units were identified by interpreting Landsat 7 satellite images processed with ER Mapper software and then surveyed in the field, as well as by geological characterization. The hydrodynamic analysis was based on a survey of 89 wells, the construction of equipotential maps, and the interpretation of pumping-test results by a non-equilibrium method. The hydrochemical characterization was based on chemical tests analyzed with the Easy_Quim 6.0 application. The combination of geomorphological, geological, hydrodynamic and hydrochemical elements allowed the definition of hydromorphological units that are typical of recharge, circulation and discharge areas, the latter both for coastal and inland areas in wetlands (salt pans) with elevations to ?40 m relative to sea level. These units and the criteria used for their definition allow immediate recognition of hydrogeological phenomena in arid regions such as the extra-Andean Patagonia, with low information density but with near-optimal satellite imaging of landforms due to the lack of vegetation cover.     

Stratigraphy and tectonics of a time-transgressive ophiolite obduction onto the eastern margin of the Pelagonian platform from Late Bathonian until Valanginian time,exemplified in northern Evvoia,Greece

The obduction of an ophiolite sheet onto the eastern Pelagonian carbonate platform complex of the Hellenides began during the Late Bathonian and ended with the final emplacement of the ophiolite during Valanginian time. The early stages of obduction caused subaerial exposure of the platform, recorded by an unconformity of Callovian age, which is marked by laterites overlying folded and faulted, karstic substrates. The laterites have distinct ophiolitic geochemical signatures, indicating that emergent ophiolite had been undergoing lateritic weathering. This unconformity coincides with widespread western Tethyan, Callovian gaps, indicating that the obduction in the Hellenides was probably related to far-reaching plate tectonic processes. Resumed gravitational pull and rollback of the subducted, oceanic leading edge of the temporarily exposed ophiolite. Platform drowning continued into Tithonian–Valanginian time, documented initially by reefal carbonates and then by below-CCD, carbonate-free radiolarian cherts and shales. Subsequently, siliciclastic turbidites, which apparently originated from uplifted Variscan basement, were deposited together with and over the radiolarite as the ophiolite nappe sheet advanced. The nappe substrate underwent tectonic deformations of varying intensity, while polymictic mélange and syntectonic sedimentary debris accreted beneath the ophiolite and at the nappe front. The provenience of the ophiolite nappe complexes of northern Evvoia most probably has to be looked for in the Vardar ocean.     

Role of Invasive Green Crabs in the Food Web of an Intertidal Sand Flat Determined from Field Observations and a Dynamic Simulation Model

A benthic focussed food web model of intermediate complexity was developed for the intertidal sand flat in the Kejimkujik National Park Seaside, NS, Canada. The goal was to understand the role of invasive green crabs and to investigate potential effects of its removal on the ecosystem. Inputs of biomass, production, consumption and diet composition for each model compartment were obtained through targeted field collections in summers 2008–2010. Simulation (via Ecosim) was used to develop a data-driven baseline steady-state food web of summer conditions and to evaluate effects of ecosystem perturbations that included moderate and extreme removal of crab biomass, in the presence and absence of migrating shorebirds. In the baseline model, green crabs were important benthic predators and also prey for fishes and birds. Ecosystem properties (e.g. size, energetics, organisation) suggested a stable ecosystem. Scenario analyses predicted that crab removal caused only slight perturbations to overall ecosystem properties, but affected some trophic components. Predators that consumed mainly crabs (e.g. gulls) decreased in biomass with crab removal because diet changes could not compensate for lost crab prey. Predators that consumed crabs and also other prey (e.g. plovers) increased in biomass with crab removal because shared benthic prey increased. Migrating shorebirds had a greater impact on the food web than crab removal. Our study suggests that removal of invasive green crabs will likely not drastically change food web biomass and productivity. This study illustrates how field data can be synthesised with food web models for effective management of coastal ecosystems.     

Building a 3D geomodel for water resources management: case study in the Regional Park of the lower courses of Manzanares and Jarama Rivers (Madrid, Spain)

Water resources management of protected sites requires a powerful tool to analyze the process and changes that are occurring in the environment. This paper describes a 3D geomodel design of the Jarama River Detrital Aquifer located in Madrid (Spain). That hydrogeological unit is included in the “Parque Regional de los Cursos Bajos de los Ríos Manzanares y Jarama” (Regional Park of the Lower Courses of Manzanares and Jarama Rivers). The goal of this work is to define a method by which a three-dimensional (3D) model can be created with hydrogeologic geometry real of main aquifer, to accomplish an adequate management of the groundwater resources. All data used in this study were integrated in a geographic database: geological and hydrogeological information, geological map (1:25,000), eleven cross-sections, piezometric maps and a digital elevation model. The constructed 3D model of the Jarama Aquifer shows geometric features and spatial distribution and variations of geologic units. Thus, the 3D model allows the assessment of volumes of each unit, the depth and thickness variations of the main aquifer, and the spatial and temporal variations of water tables. From the 3D model, the most suitable areas (in terms of groundwater protection) for managed recharge and mining works have been identified.     

The state of the environment in Mexico

The present work evaluates the state of the environment in Mexico based on indicators of the present status of the country’s natural resource management, social and economical conditions and anthropogenic modifications. The Mexican environment is interpreted as a spatially open system having a historical character that is essentially determined by the continual interaction between nature, society and economy. The landscape approach is followed, considering as units of territorial analysis each one of the 145 biophysical environmental units included in the national physiographic regionalization. The assessment of 16 indicators for each biophysical environmental unit was made considering their regional environmental integrity problems, the degree of disarticulation of their structure and function, and the alteration of their territorial structure, all of which determine whether or not they accomplish their environmental functions and achieve environmental stability. The classification of the state of the environment included 5 categories in 8 combinations represented in the map of the state of the environment in Mexico for the year 2008. The map shows that nearly 47.10% of the country’s surface has an environmental status ranging between unstable and critical, the problematic areas being mostly concentrated in the southeast and center of the national territory.     

Hydrogeochemical balance of forest umbrisol profiles (‘Sierra de Gata’, central western Spain)

Three techniques for obtaining soil water solutions (gravitational and matrical waters extracted using both in situ tension lysimeters and in vitro pressure chambers) and their later chemical analysis were performed in order to know the evolution of the soil‐solution composition when water moves down through the soil, from the Ah soil horizon to the BwC‐ or C‐horizons of forest soils located in western Spain. Additionally, ion concentrations and water volumes of input waters to soil (canopy washout) and exported waters (drainage solutions from C‐horizons) were determined to establish the net balance of solutes in order to determine the rates of leaching or retention of ions. A generalized process of sorption or retention of most components (even Cl^?) was observed, from the soil surface to the C‐horizon, in both gravitational and matrical waters, with H₄SiO₄, Mn²⁺, Na⁺, and SO₄^2? being the net exported components from the soil through the groundwater. These results enhance the role of the recycling effect in these forest soils. The net percentages of elements retained in these forest soils, considering the inputs and the outputs balance, were 68% K⁺, 85% Ca²⁺, 58% Mg²⁺, 7% Al³⁺, 5% Fe³⁺, 34% Zn²⁺, 57% Cl^?, and 20% NO₃^?, and about 75% of dissolved organic carbon was mineralized. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Putative Meteoritic Craters in Río Cuarto (Central Argentina) Interpreted as Eolian Structures

Ten oblong aligned depressions in the Río Cuarto area (provincia de Córdoba, Argentina) were supposed to be the result of very-low-angle Holocene meteoroid impacts. However, we consider that authors that studied the structures did not demonstrated their extraterrestrial origin. We suggest that an eolian origin for the structures of Río Cuarto is more likely. Actually, these landforms integrate large systems of similar deflation/accumulation geoforms aligned according to predominant winds during different periods.     

土坡稳定性的极限分析方法

本文应用塑性力学中的极限分析法原理，建立了滑动面为折线时的土坡稳定性极限分析公式。通过工程实例证明，该公式具有使用简便、可靠性强等优点。它对于评价斜坡的稳定性，合理地进行滑坡治理等，都具有实际意义。     

Alleviating drought and water scarcity in the Mediterranean region through managed aquifer recharge

Drought and water scarcity can significantly impair the sustainable development of groundwater resources, a scenario commonly found in aquifers in the Mediterranean region. Water management measures to address these drivers of groundwater depletion are highly relevant, especially considering the increasing severity of droughts under climate change. This study evaluates the potential of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to offset the adverse effects of drought and water scarcity on groundwater storage. Los Arenales aquifer (central Spain), which was unsustainably exploited for irrigation in the second half of the twentieth century, is employed as a case study. Two neighbouring zones within this aquifer are contrasted, namely, Los Arenales (LA) and Medina del Campo (MC). The primary difference between them in terms of water resources management is the wide-scale implementation of MAR systems in LA since the early 2000s. Several groundwater statistical methods are used. Groundwater-level trend analysis and average piezometric levels show in LA a faster recovery of aquifer storage and less susceptibility to drought compared to MC. On the other hand, standardised precipitation indexes and standardised groundwater level indexes of detrended groundwater-level time series, which do not include the effects of MAR, show that LA can be more negatively affected by drought and groundwater abstraction. The sharper recovery of piezometric levels in LA when considering MAR, and bigger drought impacts observed when the effects of this measure are removed, demonstrate that MAR can effectively alleviate the impacts of water scarcity and drought, providing an adaptation solution to climate change worldwide.