Shocked quartz in polymict impact breccia from the Upper Cretaceous Yallalie impact structure in Western Australia

Yallalie is a ~12 km diameter circular structure located ~200 km north of Perth, Australia. Previous studies have proposed that the buried structure is a complex impact crater based on geophysical data. Allochthonous breccia exposed near the structure has previously been interpreted as proximal impact ejecta; however, no diagnostic indicators of shock metamorphism have been found. Here we report multiple (27) shocked quartz grains containing planar fractures (PFs) and planar deformation features (PDFs) in the breccia. The PFs occur in up to five sets per grain, while the PDFs occur in up to four sets per grain. Universal stage measurements of all 27 shocked quartz grains confirms that the planar microstructures occur in known crystallographic orientations in quartz corresponding to shock compression from 5 to 20 GPa. Proximity to the buried structure (~4 km) and occurrence of shocked quartz indicates that the breccia represents either primary or reworked ejecta. Ejecta distribution simulated using iSALE hydrocode predicts the same distribution of shock levels at the site as those found in the breccia, which supports a primary ejecta interpretation, although local reworking cannot be excluded. The Yallalie impact event is stratigraphically constrained to have occurred in the interval from 89.8 to 83.6 Ma based on the occurrence of Coniacian clasts in the breccia and undisturbed overlying Santonian to Campanian sedimentary rocks. Yallalie is thus the first confirmed Upper Cretaceous impact structure in Australia.     

Response and recovery of the Eel River, California, and its tributaries to floods in 1955, 1964, and 1997

Northwestern California is prone to regional, high magnitude winter rainstorms, which repeatedly produce catastrophic floods in the basins of the northern Coast Ranges. Major floods on the Eel River in 1955 and 1964 resulted in substantial geomorphic changes to the channel, adjacent terraces, and tributaries. This study evaluated the changes and the effects of a moderate flood in 1997 through field observations and examination of aerial photographs that spanned from 1954 to 1996. The purpose was to document the nature and magnitude of geomorphic responses to these three floods and assess the rates and controls on the recovery of the Eel River and its tributaries. Channel widening from extensive bank erosion was the dominant geomorphic change along the lower Eel River during major floods. As a result of the 1964 flood, the largest amount of widening was 195 m and represented an 80% change in channel width. Channel narrowing characterized the periods after the 1955 and 1964 floods. More than 30 years after the 1964 flood, however, the river had not returned to pre-flood width, which suggests that channel recovery required decades to complete. A long recovery time is unusual given that the Eel River is located in an area with a “superhumid” climate and has an exceptionally high sediment yield. This long recovery time may reflect highly seasonal precipitation and runoff, which are concentrated in 3–5 months each winter. In contrast to the main stem of the Eel River, the dominant effects of floods on the tributaries of the Eel River were rapid aggradation of channel bed and valley floor followed by immediate downcutting. Dendrogeomorphic data, aerial photographs, and field observations indicate that thick wedges of gravel, derived largely from hillslope failures in upper reaches of the tributaries, are deposited at and immediately upstream of the mouths of tributaries as the stage of the Eel River exceeded that of the tributaries during major floods. In the waning stages of the flood, the tributaries cut through the gravel at a rate equal to the lowering of the Eel and generated unpaired terraces and nickpoints. The complete process of deposition and incision can occur within a few days of peak discharge. Although reworking of some sediment on the valley floor may continue for years after large floods, channel morphology in the tributaries appears to be a product of infrequent, high magnitude events. The morphology of the tributary channel also appears to be greatly influenced by the frequency and magnitude of mass wasting in headwater areas of small basins.     

Large roughness element effects on sand transport,Oceano Dunes,California

The effect of large roughness elements on sand transport efficiency was evaluated on a coastal sand sheet by measuring sand flux with two types of sand traps [Big Spring Number Eight (BSNE) and the Cox Sand Catcher (CSC)] at 30 positions through a 100 m‐long × 50 m‐wide roughness array comprised of 210 elements each with the dimensions 1·17 m long × 0·4 m high × 0·6 m wide. The 210 elements were used to create a roughness density (λ) of 0·022 (λ = n bh/S, where n is the number of elements, b the element breadth, h the element height, and S is the area of the surface that contains all the elements) in an area of 5000 m². The mean normalized saltation flux (NSF) values (NSF = outgoing sand flux/incoming sand flux) at the furthest downwind distance for the two trap types were 0·44 and 0·41, respectively. This is in excellent agreement with an empirical model prediction of 0·5. The reduction in saltation flux is similar to an earlier separate study for an equivalent λ composed of elements of similar height (0·36 m), even though the roughness element forms were different (rectangular in this study as opposed to circular) as were the horizontal porosity of the arrays (49% versus 16%). This corroborates earlier results that roughness element height is a critical parameter that enhances reduction in sand transport by wind for similar λ configurations. The available data suggest the form of the relationship between transport reduction efficiency and height is likely a power relationship with two limiting conditions: (1) for elements ≤ 0·1 m high the effect is minimized, and (2) as element height matches and then exceeds the maximum height of the saltation layer (≥ 1 m), the effect will stabilize near a maximum of NSF ≈ 0·32. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anatomy of a shore face ridge system,False Cape,Virginia

The Middle Atlantic Shelf of North America is a broad sand plain, characterized by a subdued ridge and swale topography. Some ridges extend into or merge with the shore face.     

On the use of IPCC-class models to assess the impact of climate on Living Marine Resources

The study of climate impacts on Living Marine Resources (LMRs) has increased rapidly in recent years with the availability of climate model simulations contributed to the assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Collaboration between climate and LMR scientists and shared understanding of critical challenges for such applications are essential for developing robust projections of climate impacts on LMRs. This paper assesses present approaches for generating projections of climate impacts on LMRs using IPCC-class climate models, recommends practices that should be followed for these applications, and identifies priority developments that could improve current projections. Understanding of the climate system and its representation within climate models has progressed to a point where many climate model outputs can now be used effectively to make LMR projections. However, uncertainty in climate model projections (particularly biases and inter-model spread at regional to local scales), coarse climate model resolution, and the uncertainty and potential complexity of the mechanisms underlying the response of LMRs to climate limit the robustness and precision of LMR projections. A variety of techniques including the analysis of multi-model ensembles, bias corrections, and statistical and dynamical downscaling can ameliorate some limitations, though the assumptions underlying these approaches and the sensitivity of results to their application must be assessed for each application. Developments in LMR science that could improve current projections of climate impacts on LMRs include improved understanding of the multi-scale mechanisms that link climate and LMRs and better representations of these mechanisms within more holistic LMR models. These developments require a strong baseline of field and laboratory observations including long time series and measurements over the broad range of spatial and temporal scales over which LMRs and climate interact. Priority developments for IPCC-class climate models include improved model accuracy (particularly at regional and local scales), inter-annual to decadal-scale predictions, and the continued development of earth system models capable of simulating the evolution of both the physical climate system and biosphere. Efforts to address these issues should occur in parallel and be informed by the continued application of existing climate and LMR models.     

Exploration of remotely sensed forest structure and ultrasonic range sensor metrics to improve empirical snow models

Current methods to estimate snow accumulation and ablation at the plot and watershed levels can be improved as new technologies offer alternative approaches to more accurately monitor snow dynamics and their drivers. Here we conduct a meta‐analysis of snow and vegetation data collected in British Columbia to explore the relationships between a wide range of forest structure variables – obtained from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), hemispherical photography (HP) and Landsat Thematic Mapper – and several indicators of snow accumulation and ablation estimated from manual snow surveys and ultrasonic range sensors. By merging and standardizing all the ground plot information available in the study area, we demonstrate how LiDAR‐derived forest cover above 0.5 m was the variable explaining the highest percentage of absolute peak snow water equivalent (SWE) (33%), while HP‐derived leaf area index and gap fraction (45° angle of view) were the best potential predictors of snow ablation rate (explaining 57% of variance). This study reveals how continuous SWE data from ultrasonic sensors are fundamental to obtain statistically significant relationships between snow indicators and structural metrics by increasing mean r² by 20% when compared to manual surveys. The relationships between vegetation and spectral indices from Landsat and snow indicators, not explored before, were almost as high as those shown by LiDAR or HP and thus point towards a new line of research with important practical implications. While the use of different data sources from two snow seasons prevented us from developing models with predictive capacity, a large sample size helped to identify outliers that weakened the relationships and suggest improvements for future research. A concise overview of the limitations of this and previous studies is provided along with propositions to consistently improve experimental designs to take advantage of remote sensing technologies, and better represent spatial and temporal variations of snow. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A computerized approach to select the most cost-effective telemetry system

Large water utilities adopt various levels of automation involving digital computer technology and modern instrumentation that provide the capability of controlling most operations in the water treatment and distribution system. One of the major components of water system automation is telemetering of information to and from a central control centre.Most water utility systems currently use leased telephone lines for telemetry requirement. An alternative approach is microwave telemetry. Concern about recent increases in leased-line tariff rates, the apparent tendency for further increases, and the degree of service provided by local telephone systems led to a study which showed that overall water distribution system telemetry cost can be minimized by adopting a hybrid telemetry system composed of both radio links and telephone links.A need arises to determine the transmission links for which each alternative method is economically more suitable. This paper presents an interactive computer program which performs an economic analysis of the transmission links in a water distribution system to determine the hybrid configuration of radio and leased phone lines that provide the most cost-effective telemetry system. A typical phone tariff structure is presented. The set of input variables can be altered interactively, and the effect of the change on system telemetry cost can be examined, allowing a resolution of a series of ‘what if’ questions of interest to a water utility manager. A case example is presented.