Seagrass meadows globally as a coupled social–ecological system: Implications for human wellbeing

Seagrass ecosystems are diminishing worldwide and repeated studies confirm a lack of appreciation for the value of these systems. In order to highlight their value we provide the first discussion of seagrass meadows as a coupled social–ecological system on a global scale. We consider the impact of a declining resource on people, including those for whom seagrass meadows are utilised for income generation and a source of food security through fisheries support. Case studies from across the globe are used to demonstrate the intricate relationship between seagrass meadows and people that highlight the multi-functional role of seagrasses in human wellbeing. While each case underscores unique issues, these examples simultaneously reveal social–ecological coupling that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries. We conclude that understanding seagrass meadows as a coupled social–ecological system is crucial in carving pathways for social and ecological resilience in light of current patterns of local to global environmental change.     

Regional effects of climate change on reindeer: a case study of the Muotkatunturi region in Finnish Lapland

Few studies have investigated current climate changes for high latitude regions, and the impact of such changes on reindeer and indigenous people. Previous work by other authors has identified snow and ice conditions in winter as being critical in determining the availability of forage for reindeer. Deep snow makes it difficult to access food. Lack of food weakens the herd and can reduce the allocation of nutrients to the development of the foetus in the female deer. Climate data for Lapland, northern Finland, and Karasjok, northern Norway, are examined, together with reindeer calf numbers for the period 1977 to 1994 for the Muotkatunturi region (68°N 25°30'E). Between 1883 and 1993, precipitation increased but temperatures showed no clear warming or cooling trend. However, since the late 1980s, temperatures have increased. A regression analysis on the climate and reindeer data found that the warmer the winter prior to the rut, the fewer the live calves recorded the following year (r = 0.529, p < 0.05). Also, the wetter the winter prior to the rut, the fewer the calves recorded (r = 0.427, p < 0.10). In contrast, the warmer the autumn prior to their birth, the greater the number of calves recorded (r = 0.474, p < 0.10). These results suggest that as climate changes and winters become warmer and wetter with increased snowfall, calf numbers will decline. These findings have important implications for the Saami people who are heavily dependent on the reindeer for their livelihood.     

Debris-flow release processes investigated through the analysis of multi-temporal LiDAR datasets in north-western Iceland

Debris flows are fast-moving gravity flows of poorly sorted rock and soil, mixed and saturated with water. Debris-flow initiation has been studied using empirical and experimental modelling, but the geomorphic changes, indicative of different triggering processes, are difficult to constrain with field observations only. We identify signatures to distinguish two different debris-flow release styles by integrating high-resolution multi-temporal remote sensing datasets and morphometric analysis. We analyse debris flows sourced above the town of Ísafjörður (Iceland). Two debris-flow triggering processes were previously hypothesised for this site: (i) slope failure, characterised by landslides evolving into debris flows; and (ii) the fire-hose effect, in which debris accumulated in pre-existing, steep-sided bedrock passages is transported by a surge of water. It is unknown which process dominates and determines the local risk. To investigate this question, we compare airborne LiDAR elevation models and aerial photographs collected in 2007 with similar data from 2013. We find that two new debris-flow tracks were created by slope failures. These are characterised by steep sliding surfaces and lateral leveed channels. Slope failure also occurred in two large, recently active tracks, creating the preparatory conditions for the fire-hose effect to mobilise existing debris. These tracks show alternating zones of fill and scour along their length, and debris stored below the source-area at rest angles >35°. Our approach allows us to identify and quantify the morphological changes produced by slope failure release process, which generated the preparatory conditions for the fire-hose effect. As debris flows are rarely observed in action and morphological changes induced by them are difficult to detect and monitor, the same approach could be applied to other landscapes to understand debris-flow initiation in the absence of other monitoring information, and can improve the identification of zones at risk in inhabited areas near hillslopes with potential for debris flows. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Hydrological flow paths at the allt A' mharcaidh catchment: An analysis of plot and catchment scale observations

An integrated programme of hydrological monitoring at the 10 km² Allt a' Mharcaidh catchment in north-east Scotland has been based on observations at plot, hillslope and catchment scale. The resonse of the principal soil types has been characterized from a combination of throughflow and three-dimensional tensiometer data at plot scale, and plot sequences have been used to investigate hillslope scale effects. Seep emergence is associated with downslope drainage and local topographic convergence; in parallel preferential pathways generate a highly dynamic throughflow response. Catchment and subcatchment hydrographs mirror the twin dynamic observed at hillslope scale, and a unified hypothesis of response is presented which is consistent with all scales of observations.     

Syringe‐Tip Filters May Contain the Artificial Sweetener Saccharin

The presence of artificial sweeteners in environmental samples is increasingly used to detect wastewater (and recently landfill leachate) in rivers, lakes and groundwater. Through routine laboratory quality assurance/quality control procedures, it was discovered that some syringe‐tip filters leach saccharin when used to process water samples. We subsequently tested several brands of filters to determine if they leached any of the four common artificial sweeteners analyzed in environmental samples, acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, and sucralose. Of the six types of filters tested, only one brand was a source of artificial sweeteners and the only artificial sweetener found was saccharin. The source of the saccharin in the filters is unknown but it is likely the result of some step in the manufacturing process. The saccharin was typically removed from these filters using a distilled water rinse of 13 mL or less. As a precaution, filters should be pre‐tested for the presence of saccharin and/or filters should be flushed with distilled water or sample prior to the collection of water samples for artificial sweetener analyses.     

Distributions of dissolved vitamin B12 and Co in coastal and open-ocean environments

Distributions of dissolved vitamin B₁₂ and total dissolved Co were measured to gain an understanding of the cycling of these interdependent micronutrients in six marine settings including; an upwelling location, a semi-enclosed bay, two urban coastal systems, and two open ocean locations. Along the coast of Baja California, Mexico, concentrations of B₁₂ and dissolved Co varied from 0.2 to 11 pM and 180 to 990 pM, respectively. At a nearby upwelling station, vitamin B₁₂ and Co concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 7.0 pM and 22 to 145 pM, and concentrations did not correlate with upwelling intensity. Concentrations of B₁₂ were highest within Todos Santos Bay, a semi-enclosed bay off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, during a dinoflagellate bloom, ranging from 2 to 61 pM, while Co concentrations varied between 61 and 194 pM. In the anthropogenically impacted Long Island Sound, NY, U.S.A., B₁₂ levels were between 0.1 and 23 pM and Co concentrations varied from 60 to 1900 pM. However, anthropogenic inputs were not evident in B₁₂ levels in the San Pedro Basin, located outside Los Angeles, Ca, U.S.A., where concentrations of B₁₂ were 0.2–1.8 pM, approximating observed open ocean B₁₂ concentrations. In the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean, B₁₂ levels were 0.4–4 pM and 0.2–2 pM, respectively. Total Co concentrations in the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic tended to be low; measuring 26–59 pM and 15–80 pM, respectively. These low Co concentrations may limit B₁₂ synthesis and its availability to B₁₂-requiring phytoplankton because the total dissolved Co pool is not necessarily entirely bioavailable.     

Spatial and seasonal variations of sulphate,dissolved organic carbon,and nutrients in deep pore waters of intertidal flat sediments

Spatial and seasonal variations of sulphate, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nutrients and metabolic products were determined down to 5 m sediment depth in pore waters of intertidal flats located in NW Germany. The impact of sediment permeability, pore water flow, and organic matter supply on deep pore water biogeochemistry was evaluated. Low sediment permeability leads to an enrichment of remineralisation products in pore waters of clay-rich sediments. In permeable sandy sediments pore water biogeochemistry differs depending on whether tidal flat margins or central parts of the tidal flat are studied. Pore water flow in tidal flat margins increases organic matter input. Substrate availability and enhanced temperatures in summer stimulate sulphate reducers down to 3.5 m sediment depth. Sulphate, DOC, and nutrient concentrations exhibit seasonal variations in deep permeable sediments of the tidal flat margin. In contrast, seasonal variations are small in deep pore waters of central parts of the sand flat. This study shows for the first time that seasonal variations in pore water chemistry are not limited to surface sediments, but may be observed down to some metres depth in permeable tidal flat margin sediments. In such systems more organic matter seems to be remineralised than deduced from surface sediment studies.     

High-resolution Observations of H$\alpha$ Spectra with a Subtractive Double Pass

High-resolution imaging spectroscopy in solar physics has relied on Fabry–Pérot interferometers (FPIs) in recent years. FPI systems, however, become technically challenging and expensive for telescopes larger than the 1 m class. A conventional slit spectrograph with a diffraction-limited performance over a large field of view (FOV) can be built at much lower cost and effort. It can be converted into an imaging spectro(polari)meter using the concept of a subtractive double pass (SDP). We demonstrate that an SDP system can reach a similar performance as FPI-based systems with a high spatial and moderate spectral resolution across a FOV of \(100^{\prime\prime} \times100^{\prime \prime}\) with a spectral coverage of 1 nm. We use H\(\alpha\) spectra taken with an SDP system at the Dunn Solar Telescope and complementary full-disc data to infer the properties of small-scale superpenumbral filaments. We find that the majority of all filaments end in patches of opposite-polarity fields. The internal fine-structure in the line-core intensity of H\(\alpha\) at spatial scales of about 0\(.\!\!^{\prime \prime }\)5 exceeds that in other parameters such as the line width, indicating small-scale opacity effects in a larger-scale structure with common properties. We conclude that SDP systems in combination with (multi-conjugate) adaptive optics are a valid alternative to FPI systems when high spatial resolution and a large FOV are required. They can also reach a cadence that is comparable to that of FPI systems, while providing a much larger spectral range and a simultaneous multi-line capability.     

Simulated asteroid materials based on carbonaceous chondrite mineralogies

A set of high‐fidelity simulated asteroid materials, or simulants, was developed based on the mineralogy of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. Three varieties of simulant were developed based on CI1 chondrites (typified by Orgueil), CM2 chondrites (typified by Murchison), and CR2/3 chondrites (multiple samples). The simulants were designed to replicate the mineralogy and physical properties of the corresponding meteorites and anticipated asteroid surface materials as closely as is reasonably possible for bulk amounts. The simulants can be made in different physical forms ranging from larger cobbles to fine‐grained regolith. We analyzed simulant prototypes using scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray fluorescence, reflectance spectroscopy at ambient conditions and in vacuum, thermal emission spectroscopy in a simulated asteroid environment chamber, and combined thermogravimetry and evolved gas analysis. Most measured properties compare favorably to the reference meteorites and therefore to predicted volatile‐rich asteroid surface materials, including boulders, cobbles, and fine‐grained soils. However, there were also discrepancies, and mistakes were made in the original mineral formulations that will be updated in the future. The asteroid simulants are available to the community from the nonprofit Exolith Lab at UCF, and the mineral recipes are freely published for other groups to reproduce and modify as they see fit.