Recent evolution of surge-related events and assessment of coastal flooding risk on the eastern coasts of the English Channel

This paper is based on statistical analysis of hourly tide measurements for some 285 equivalent full years from the stations of Weymouth, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Newhaven, Dover and Sheerness in the UK, and of Cherbourg, Le Havre, Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk in France. For each tidal value, surge heights have been determined and correlated with hourly or three-hourly wind and air pressure data from nearby meteorological stations. Major surges in the area are generally produced by storms associated with wind from north-west or south-west that tend to push oceanic water into the Channel. Recent medium-term climate evolution does not seem to increase the flooding risk at French stations, where surge-related winds tend to decrease in frequency and speed (Cherbourg, Dieppe and Boulogne) or show little change (Le Havre). However, the long-term risk of flooding will increase through the loss in land elevation due to a continuation of the local relative sea-level rise, especially if this effect will be enhanced by an acceleration in the global sea-level rise predicted by climatic models. The northern side of the Channel (Weymouth, Bournemouth and Portsmouth) is mainly exposed to southerly winds that show variable trends. It is also apparently affected by strong subsidence trends during the last two decades. If lasting, such trends can only increase long-term flooding risk. The flooding risk has not increased near the eastern end of the Channel. The duration of significant cyclonic events tends to decrease near Cherbourg but tends to increase near Weymouth, with no conclusive trends in other stations (Portsmouth, Calais and Dunkirk), where extreme surges may occur also in relatively high-air-pressure situations. In conclusion, medium-term coastal flooding risk seems to increase especially at Weymouth, Bournemouth and Portsmouth, and also, but less so, at Le Havre and Sheerness. In addition, few extreme surges occurred during the last decades at the time of spring high tide, which would seem to be a fortunate coincidence or, in some cases, an effect of tide–surge interaction. The risk of occurrence of less favourable random events in the near future is therefore of concern, and flood potential would greatly increase if the global sea-level rise expected in the near future is also considered.     

Paleosubsidence and active subsidence due to evaporite dissolution in the Zaragoza area (Huerva River valley, NE Spain): processes, spatial distribution and protection measures for transport routes

The lowest 17-km long reach of the Huerva River valley, down to its confluence with the Ebro River in Zaragoza city, flows across salt-bearing evaporites of the Ebro Tertiary Basin (NE Spain). Upstream, the horizontally lying Miocene evaporites are interfingered with non-soluble distal alluvial fan facies (shales and sandstones). The proportion of soluble facies in the Huerva River valley increases in a downstream direction towards the basin depocenter. On the basis of the type and magnitude of the paleosubsidence features, the valley has been divided into four reaches. Along reach I, undeformed terrace deposits less than 4 m thick rest on insoluble detrital bedrock. In reaches II and III, dissolution at the alluvium–bedrock boundary has generated local thickening, deformation and paleocollapse structures, which only affect the alluvial mantle. In reach IV, terrace deposits thicken to over 60 m resulting from a large-scale synsedimentary subsidence. In this sector, subsidence locally affects to both the alluvium and the underlying bedrock. This indicates that dissolution acts at the rockhead beneath the alluvial cover (alluvial karst) and within the evaporitic substratum (interstratal karst). The development of an intraevaporitic karst in reach IV is attributed to gypsum and salt dissolution. Irregular terrace gravel bodies (gravel pockets) embedded in a fine-grained matrix associated with paleocollapse structures have been interpreted as liquefaction–fluidization structures resulting from ground acceleration and suction induced by catastrophic collapses. Subsidence is currently active in the region affecting areas with a thin alluvial cover in reaches III and IV. The low subsidence activity in most of Zaragoza city is explained by the presence of thickened (around 50 m) and indurated alluvial deposits. In the surrounding area, numerous buildings in Cadrete and Santa Fe villages have been severely damaged by subsidence. Natural and human-induced subsidence favours the development of slope movements in the gypsum scarp overlooking Cadrete village. Several transport routes including the Imperial Canal (irrigation canal) and the recently completed Madrid–Barcelona high-speed railway are affected by human-induced sinkholes. The paleocollapse structures exposed in the trenches of this railway and a ring road under construction point to hazardous locations underlain by cavities and collapse structures where special protection measures should be applied. Rigid structures are recommended beneath the high-speed railway with sufficient strength to span the larger sinkholes with no deformation. Electronic monitoring devices linked to a warning system can detect subtle subsidence-induced deformations in carriageways or railways. This research demonstrates that the study of the paleokarst helps to understand the processes involved in the present-day subsidence phenomena and their general spatial distribution.     

An unusual ‘blood rain’ over the Canary Islands (Spain). The storm of January 1999

An intense storm, including strong winds, a dust storm, ‘blood rain’ and heavy rains affected the Canary Archipelago between 5 and 10 January 1999, producing damage valued at 156 million euros. The present paper analyses the weather conditions and sedimentological features of the dust. The resulting data provide a possible explanation of palaeoclimatic conditions essential for the stabilization of sand dunes in the eastern parts of the Canary Islands.     

Tectonics and sedimentation in the Curitiba Basin, south of Brazil

The Curitiba Basin, Paraná, lies parallel to the west side of the Serra do Mar range and is part of a continental rift near the Atlantic coast of southeastern Brazil. It bears unconsolidated and poorly consolidated sediments divided in two formations: the lower Guabirotuba Formation and the overlying Tinguis Formation, both developed over Precambrian basement. Field observations, water well drill cores, and interpretations of satellite images lead to the inference that regional tectonic processes were responsible for the origin of the Basin in the continental rift context and for morphotecatonic evolution through block tilting, dissection, and erosion. The structural framework of the sediments and the basement is characterized by NE–SW-trending normal faults (extensional tectonic D₁ event) reactivated by NE–SW-trending strike–slip and reverse oblique faults (younger transtensional tectonic D_2′ to transpressional tectonic D_2″ event). This tectonic event, which started in the Paleogene and controlled the basin geometry, began as a halfgraben and was later reactivated as a pull-apart basin. D₂ is a neotectonic event that controls the current morphostructures. The Basin is connected to the structural rearrangement of the South American platform, which underwent a generalized extensional or trantensional process and, in late Oligocene, changed to a compressional to transpressional regime.     

Carbon stable isotopes ratios of pelagic and littoral communities in Alchichica crater-lake, Mexico

Carbon stable isotope ratios were determined in dominant biotic components of pelagic and littoral systems in Alchichica crater-lake. Results showed that carbon signatures were significantly different between both systems. The pelagic environment was more depleted (−26.15 to −15.14 per mille) than the littoral zone (−21.03 to −17.91 per mille). The potential source end-point in the simplified pelagic community was established to be diatomaceous phytoplankton; its predicted value was −21.7 per mille. There is a clear evidence thatNodularia does not sustain the pelagic food chain. In contrast, the highly diverse littoral community was sustained by epiphytes. No allochthonous sources seemed to influence this food web.¹³C enrichment was observed along the components of both systems with fractionations of 0.8 to 1.4 per mille. The contribution of the seagrassRuppia maritima is probably associated with the detritus pathway. Carbon source partitioning between both systems was not recorded. The δ¹³C in Alchichica crater-lake was more enriched than in other saline lakes and could be attributed to different salinity and CO₂ concentrations among lakes.     

T Tauri Stars: The X-ray Connection

The launch of ROSAT opened a new era in the study of T Tauri stars. Prompted by the IUE results, the new X-ray data confirms the existence of extremely high levels of activity in these young stars, very likely of magnetic nature. We address a detailed analysis of the star TW Hya in the X-ray spectral range. A summary of its properties in the UV will also be included in order to grasp an overall picture of the activity in this star. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

APPLICATION OF A QUASI-2D HYDRO-MORPHOLOGICAL MODEL TO THE ARGENTINEAN PARAN(A) RIVER

Herein a simplified quasi-two dimensional horizontal hydro-morphological mathematical model is presented. The governing equations for the quasi-2D horizontal time-depending flow field are represented by the well-known approach of interconnected cells. New discharge laws between cells are incorporated. The model is capable of predicting temporal changes in water depth, velocity distribution,sediment transport, bed elevation, as well as water and suspended sediment exchanges between main stream and flood plains. An application of the model to the middle reach of the Argentinean Parana River is presented. Satisfactory results were obtained during model calibration, validation and application.     

The role of dew in the water and heat balance of bare loess soil in the Negev Desert: quantifying the actual dew deposition on the soil surface

During nighttime, latent heat fluxes to or from the soil surface are usually very small and the absolute amounts of dew deposition are accordingly very small. The detection of such small fluxes poses serious measurement difficulties. Various methods for measuring dew have been described in the literature and most of them rely on the use of artificial condensing plates with physical properties that are very different from those of soil surfaces. A system that detects the actual dew deposition on the soil surface under natural conditions would be advantageous and microlysimeters (MLs) appear to be the obvious answer. The objectives of this work were to test the adequacy of microlysimeters to estimate condensation amounts, and to compare these amounts with those measured by a Hiltner dew balance in order to validate the long term data collected using the latter. The research was carried out at the Wadi Mashash Experimental Farm in the Northern Negev, Israel, during two measurement periods. A micro-meteorological station was installed in the field next to a modified Hiltner balance. A microlysimeter with an undisturbed soil sample was placed nearby. During the first period, the depth of the microlysimeter was 15 cm while at the second period it was 55 cm. The results show that for measuring dew, the minimum depth of a microlysimeter should exceed the depth at which the diurnal temperature is constant, which for a dry loess soil in the Negev Desert is 50 cm.     

Rare-gas dating,III. Evaluation of a double-spiking procedure for potassium-argon dating

A double-spike method for KAr dating is described. Use of long-lived³⁹Ar in addition to the usual³⁸Ar in the spike permits argon isotopic discrimination occurring after insertion of the spike to be monitored at the same time as ages are determined. A “bootstrap” (self-contained) method of calibrating the spike for isotopic composition is described which, when used appropriately, gives final ages which are independent of the published isotopic composition of the terrestrial atmospheric argon used as a comparison gas. The method calls for a mass spectrometer which resolves adjacent isotopes to a high degree. We have tested the method nevertheless with a mass spectrometer of relatively low resolving power, the AEI MS-10, and found it to be successful in part and without any disadvantages with respect to conventional techniques in those instances where the method fails because of insufficient resolution. That is, we find the discrimination factor inferred in runs on young rocks and blanks to be valid and useful. That factor changes by as much as 1.3% over the life of a filament in the ion source of the MS-10, proving that close control of the discrimination factor is essential for analytical precision with the instrument. These assertions are documented graphically with a compilation of data which represents more than two years experience with the method. We also report measurements of the mass discrimination of the MS-10 and its linearity with mass which indicate that the latter quantity is acceptable when the repeller voltage for the ion source is close to +1 V and is unacceptable otherwise. The spike material is available, upon request, to those laboratories which decide firmly to undertake further testing of the method.     

From hard-path to soft-path solutions: slow–fast dynamics of human adaptation to droughts in a water scarce environment

ABSTRACT

Droughts have long impacted humans with adverse consequences, hindering the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To reduce vulnerability, multiple ways of adaptation have been developed, most of which, historically, focused on “hard-path” implementation of infrastructure. However, since water consumption plays a major role in the supply–demand balance, “soft-path” solutions focusing on the control of water use have recently intensified. Furthermore, due to the dynamic interaction between humans and water, changes might occur over time, requiring adaptation measures to be continually reshaped. We assess the dynamic nature of human adaptation to droughts in the semi-arid Extended Jaguaribe Basin, Brazil. We explore the shift from hard, supply-oriented measures to soft governance, and its causes: natural and socio-economic processes not anticipated in the original water resources policy. The observed phenomenon and discussion of its causes help to build knowledge on human–water interactions that are applicable more generally.