Sensitivity of Mesoscale Surface Dynamics to Surface Soil and Vegetation Contrasts over the Carolina Sandhills

A region of contrasting soils exists over the Carolinas region of the southeastern United States. Previous research has shown an increase in mesoscale summertime precipitation over this region. Numerical simulations are analyzed to investigate the relationships between mesoscale surface dynamics and the transition from clay to sandy soils over this region. Numerical modeling experiments using four different soil and vegetation patterns suggest that the presence of the clay-to-sand transition zone produces a surface heat flux gradient and enhanced convergence. The soil contrasts appear to dominate over vegetation contrasts in affecting local surface heating and convergence in the model atmosphere.     

Abundance and Distribution of Reef-Associated Fishes Around Small Oil and Gas Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico’s Hypoxic Zone

Oil and gas platforms (platforms) provide high-relief habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxic zone that are important to associated fishes. Hypoxia develops near the bottom and reef-associated fishes utilize vertical structure in the well-oxygenated waters overlaying hypoxia. A video array was used to profile the water column and to estimate abundances and depth distributions of fishes before, during, and after summer hypoxia at platforms experiencing intense (seaward) and mild hypoxia (shoal). Gray snapper abundance increased at shoal platforms (10× greater after vs. before the hypoxia season), while abundance remained stable at seaward platforms. However, there was no significant relationship between gray snapper abundance and oxygen concentrations. Sheepshead, Atlantic spadefish, blue runner, and Atlantic bumper abundances varied throughout the summer, but there was no significant effect of hypoxia. Occupation of bottom waters by fishes was consistent throughout the study period at shoal platforms, but fishes were rarely observed in the bottom 3 m and congregated in the water immediately above the hypoxic layer when hypoxia was present at seaward platforms. Nevertheless, patterns of fish abundances were not driven by the presence or absence of hypoxia. The vertical dimension of platforms is a unique and key aspect of their ecological value, especially in the hypoxic zone, and should be considered for artificial reef management.     

Free-Phase Gas Detection in Groundwater Wells via Water Pressure and Continuous Field Parameters

Detection of free-phase gas (FPG) in groundwater wells is critical for accurate assessment of dissolved gas concentrations and the occurrence of FPG in the subsurface, with consequent implications for understanding groundwater contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. However, identifying FPG is challenging during routine groundwater monitoring and there is poor agreement on the best approach to detect the occurrence of FPG in groundwater. In this study, laboratory experiments in a water column were designed to mimic nonflowing and flowing conditions in a groundwater well to evaluate how the presence of FPG affects water pressure and commonly used continuous field parameters. The laboratory results were extrapolated to interpret field data at an abandoned exploration well with episodic release of free-gas CO₂. The FPG effect on water pressure varied between flowing and nonflowing wells, and depending on whether the FPG was above or below the sensor. Electrical conductivity values were decreased and/or behaved erratically when FPG was present in the water column. Findings from this study have shown that the combined measurement of water pressure, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved gas pressure can provide information about the occurrence of FPG in groundwater wells. Measurement of these parameters at different depths can also provide information about relative depths and amounts of FPG within the well water column. This approach can be used for long-term monitoring of groundwater gases, managing gas-locking in production wells with gassy groundwater, and measuring fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from groundwater wells.     

Intrusion of shoshonitic magmas at shallow crustal depth: <Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>–<Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis> path,H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O estimates,and AFC modeling of the Middle Triassic Predazzo Intrusive Complex (Southern Alps,Italy)

The multi-pulse shoshonitic Predazzo intrusive complex represents an ideal igneous laboratory for investigating the chemical and physical conditions of magma emplacement in a crustal context, since numerical models can be constrained by field evidence. It constitutes the most intriguing remnant of the Middle Triassic magmatic systems of the Dolomitic Area (Southern Alps), preserved by the Alpine tectonics. Predazzo Intrusive Complex comprises silica saturated (pyroxenites/gabbros to syenites), silica undersaturated (gabbros to syenites), and silica oversaturated (granites and syenogranites) rock suites. In this paper, we modeled its emplacement and evolution with a multiple thermo-/oxy-barometric, hygrometric, and EC-AFC approach. At odds with what proposed in literature but according to the field evidence, the emplacement of the Predazzo Intrusive Complex occurred at shallow depth (<?6 km). In this context, the different pulses differed slightly in bulk water content, but shared a common thermal regime, with temperatures between 1000 and 1100 °C and ~?600 °C at low-to-moderate oxidizing conditions (? 0.1 to +?0.7 ΔFMQ). The interaction between the intrusion and the shallow crustal rocks was minimal, with Sr and Nd isotopic compositions indicating an average of 5–6% assimilation of crust. A thermo- and oxy-barometric comparison with the nearby Mt. Monzoni also enabled to speculate about the solidification time of the intrusion, which we infer took place over about 700 ka.     

Prairie or planted? Using time-series NDVI to determine grassland characteristics in Montana

Temperate grasslands are a highly threatened global biome. Complicating management and conservation strategy development, modern grasslands can be difficult to characterize across landscapes since they range from native and semi-native to completely non-native species compositions such as those found in heavily managed pastures. Similar to methods used to differentiate C3 and C4 grasses, we investigate the ability of using temporal variations in growth characteristics as an alternative pathway to predicting native versus introduced species composition across grassland landscapes. To do this, we conducted an exploratory analysis using a time-series of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index values as a measure of vegetation greenness with Landsat 5 TM imagery across a growing season and performed an unsupervised classification. Results from the classification were compared with field observation to determine if we can differentiate between native and introduced grassland types in the Northwest Glaciated Plains subecoregion of northeastern Montana. Our results indicated that we predicted grassland cover with 81% accuracy within our 200 km² study area and 71% accuracy in our 5000 km² secondary study area. Further extrapolation of our methodology, combined with the refinement of vegetation indices of time-series imagery, classification algorithms and the availability of data from planned Landsat and Sentinel missions, may provide the spatial detail necessary to improve grassland monitoring and rangeland management over large areas.     

Creative industries in the tropics: Reflections on creativity and northeastern Australia as place

This paper explores the concept of creativity and place as relevant to Cairns and Townsville in northeastern Australia. These two provincial cities are key to the economic and population growth of northern Australia and as such are the focus of renewed interest from all levels of government. While the creative industries sector in each location is significant, to date there has been no research specifically exploring the views of industry participants in terms of the creative strengths, impediments and opportunities across the region. Interviews with 38 creative industries participants were completed, revealing the significant benefits and challenges associated with being located in a remote tropical environment where the concept of place is strong. The interviews also reveal a number of potential growth strategies for the sector in each location that have the potential to inform policy and urban development approaches not only in the tropical north of Australia but also more broadly across the country. That is, the findings provide further evidence in support of the need for ongoing research into the particular contributions of regional and rural cities to the global creative economy.