Seasonal dynamics and exports of elements from a first‐order stream to a large inland lake in Michigan

Headwater streams are critical components of drainage systems, directly connecting terrestrial and downstream aquatic ecosystems. The amount of water in a stream can alter hydrologic connectivity between the stream and surrounding landscape and is ultimately an important driver of what constituents headwater streams transport. There is a shortage of studies that explore concentration–discharge (C‐Q) relationships in headwater systems, especially forested watersheds, where the hydrological and ecological processes that control the processing and export of solutes can be directly investigated. We sought to identify the temporal dynamics and spatial patterns of stream chemistry at three points along a forested headwater stream in Northern Michigan and utilize C‐Q relationships to explore transport dynamics and potential sources of solutes in the stream. Along the stream, surface flow was seasonal in the main stem, and perennial flow was spatially discontinuous for all but the lowest reaches. Spring snowmelt was the dominant hydrological event in the year with peak flows an order of magnitude larger at the mouth and upper reaches than annual mean discharge. All three C‐Q shapes (positive, negative, and flat) were observed at all locations along the stream, with a higher proportion of the analytes showing significant relationships at the mouth than at the mid or upper flumes. At the mouth, positive (flushing) C‐Q shapes were observed for dissolved organic carbon and total suspended solids, whereas negative (dilution) C‐Q shapes were observed for most cations (Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) and biologically cycled anions (NO₃^?, PO₄^3?, SO₄^2?). Most analytes displayed significant C‐Q relationships at the mouth, indicating that discharge is a significant driving factor controlling stream chemistry. However, the importance of discharge appeared to decrease moving upstream to the headwaters where more localized or temporally dynamic factors may become more important controls on stream solute patterns.     

Vegetation impacts soil water content patterns by shaping canopy water fluxes and soil properties

Soil water content is a key variable for biogeochemical and atmospheric coupled processes. Its small‐scale heterogeneity impacts the partitioning of precipitation (e.g., deep percolation or transpiration) by triggering threshold processes and connecting flow paths. Forest hydrologists frequently hypothesized that throughfall and stemflow patterns induce soil water content heterogeneity, yet experimental validation is limited. Here, we pursued a pattern‐oriented approach to explore the relationship between net precipitation and soil water content. Both were measured in independent high‐resolution stratified random designs on a 1‐ha temperate mixed beech forest plot in Germany. We recorded throughfall (350 locations) and stemflow (65 trees) for 16 precipitation events in 2015. Soil water content was measured continuously in topsoil and subsoil (210 profiles). Soil wetting was only weakly related to net precipitation patterns. The precipitation‐induced pattern quickly dissipates and returns to a basic pattern, which is temporally stable. Instead, soil hydraulic properties (by the proxy of field capacity) were significantly correlated with this stable soil water content pattern, indicating that soil structure more than net precipitation drives soil water content heterogeneity. Also, both field capacity and soil water content were lower in the immediate vicinity of tree stems compared to further away at all times, including winter, despite stemflow occurrence. Thus, soil structure varies systematically according to vegetation in our site. We conclude that enhanced macroporosity increases gravity‐driven flow in stem proximal areas. Therefore, although soil water content patterns are little affected by net precipitation, the resulting soil water fluxes may strongly be affected. Specifically, this may further enhance the channelling of stemflow to greater depth and beyond the rooting zone.     

A redetermination of the ice/vapor ratio of Enceladus’ plumes: Implications for sublimation and the lack of a liquid water reservoir

The discovery of plumes of H₂O vapor and ice particles erupting from the south pole of Enceladus, the tiny frigid satellite of Saturn, sparked controversy over whether these plumes are produced by boiling, or by sublimation with subsequent recondensation of the sublimated vapor [Porco, C.C., Helfenstein, P., Thomas, P.C., Ingersoll, A.P., Wisdom, J., West, R., Neukum, G., Denk, T., Wagner, R., Roatsch, T., Kieffer, S., Turtle, E., McEwen, A., Johnson, T.V., Rathbun, J., Veverka, J., Wilson, D., Perry, J., Spitale, J., Brahic, A., Burns, J.A., DelGenio, A.D., Dones, L., Murray, C.D., Squyres, S., 2006. Science 311, 1393-1401]. Porco et al.’s analysis that the masses of ice (I) and vapor (V) in the plume were comparable was taken to argue against the occurrence of sublimation and recondensation, leading to the hypothesis that the reservoir was boiling water, possibly as close as 7 m to the surface. Thus, it has been advocated that Enceladus should be a target for astrobiology exploration. Here we show, with recalculations using the original data and methodologies, as well as with new sensitivity studies, that the mass of ice in the column is significantly less than the mass of water vapor, and that by considering three additional effects, I/V is likely to be <0.2-0.1. This means that the plume is dominated by vapor that the thermodynamics permits to be easily produced by sublimation with recondensation. The low I/V ratio provides no compelling criterion for consideration of a liquid water reservoir. The uncertainties on the I/V ratio have not previously been discussed in the literature. Although the I/V ratio is sensitive to particle sizes and size distributions, the masses of ice (I) and vapor (V) are not comparable in any scenario constrained by available observations. We thus discuss the implications of sublimation from a thermodynamic point of view in a context that has not been presented previously. Constraints on I/V ratio from future spacecraft measurements of the plume, in conjunction with consideration of the total plume composition and multicomponent analysis, can help constrain source conditions for the plume.     

Temporal Trends of Dissolved Trace Metals in Jamaica Bay,NY: Importance of Wastewater Input and Submarine Groundwater Discharge in an Urban Estuary

Jamaica Bay, NY, is a highly urbanized estuary within the boroughs of New York City conspicuously lacking published information on dissolved trace metal concentrations. The current study examines the distribution and cycling of trace metals in that embayment with data gathered during cruises in November 2004, April 2005, and June 2006. Most of the metal distributions (Fe, Zn, Co, Ag, Cu, Pb, Ni) in the water column are explained by the input of substantial volumes of treated wastewater effluent. However, several lines of evidence suggest that submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is also an important source of dissolved Fe, Zn, Co, Ni, and isotopically distinct stable Pb ratios (²⁰⁶Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb, ²⁰⁸Pb) in the Bay. Conversely, the recirculated seawater component of SGD is an apparent sink for dissolved Mo. This study provides the first measurements of dissolved trace metals in the Jamaica Bay water column and subterranean estuary and provides evidence for trace metal input due to SGD.     

Direct evidence of the South Java Current system in Ombai Strait

Direct velocity measurements from 2004 through 2006 confirm the eastward flowing surface South Java Current (SJC) and its deeper Undercurrent (SJUC) crosses the Savu Sea to reach Ombai Strait, a main outflow portal of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). The extension of the South Java Current system into Ombai Strait was hinted at by earlier measurement and modeling studies, but the 3-year velocity time series from two moorings in Ombai Strait clearly show separate distinct cores of flow in the SJC and SJUC. The deeper SJUC is driven by Kelvin waves forced by intraseasonal and semi-annual winds in the equatorial Indian Ocean and, when present, is observed across the entire strait. Eastward flow in the surface SJC is near year-round, although it appears that the mechanisms responsible for this flow differ throughout the year. Both the wind-driven Ekman flow during the northwest monsoon and the strongest semi-annual Kelvin waves that have surface signatures can result in eastward surface layer flow across the entire strait. In contrast, during the southeast monsoon the SJC has a subsurface maximum eastward flow at 50–100 m depth in the northern part of Ombai Strait, while the westward ITF is at an annual maximum at the surface in the southern part of the strait. Surface temperature maps suggest the presence of a front during the southeast monsoon that seems to trap the SJC to within ∼10–15 km of the northern boundary of Ombai Strait. The SJC and the frontal location are related to a complex interplay between local wind-driven Ekman dynamics, the strong ITF flow and topography. Significant energy is found at short intraseasonal time scales (20–60 days) in the along-strait flow that is probably related to the short duration westerly wind bursts that drive the Kelvin waves into Ombai Strait. There is a distinct lack of energy at longer intraseasonal time scales (60–90 days) that is likely attributable to interannual climate variability.     

Rare earth elements in an ice core from Mt. Everest: Seasonal variations and potential sources

Rare earth element (REE) concentrations in ice samples from the upper 8.4 m of a Mt. Everest ice core retrieved from the col of the East Rongbuk Glacier (28.03°N, 86.96°E, 6518 m a.s.l.) on the northeast ridge of Mt. Everest in September 2002 are presented. REEs display large seasonal variations, with high concentrations in the non-monsoon season and low concentrations in the summer monsoon season. This seasonality is useful for ice core dating. When normalized to a shale standard, the Mt. Everest REEs exhibit a consistent shale-like pattern with a slight enrichment of middle REEs during both seasons. However, individual monsoon REE patterns display differences, possibly resulting from diversified sources. Non-monsoon REE patterns are stable and are associated with the westerlies. Investigation of potential sources for the Everest REEs suggests an absence of anthropogenic contributions and minimal input from local provenances. REEs in Mt. Everest samples are most likely representative of a stable well-mixed REE background of the upper troposphere consisting of a mixture of aerosols transported by the atmospheric circulation from the west windward arid regions such as the Thar Desert, West Asia, the Sahara Desert and other uncertain provenances.     

Reconstructing basal ice flow patterns of the Last Glacial Maximum Rhine glacier (northern Alpine foreland) based on streamlined subglacial landforms

Based on high-resolution (sub)glacial geomorphological mapping, we present a first digital inventory of streamlined bedforms within the footprint of a Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) Alpine piedmont glacier. A total of 2460 drumlins were mapped across the Rhine glacier foreland. Glacial lineations and one field of subglacial ribs (ribbed/Rogen moraines) — the first record of this type of subglacial landform on the Alpine foreland—were identified. Two flowsets, associated with (i) the Rhine glacier's LGM maximum advance (Schaffhausen stadial) and (ii) a late LGM readvance (Stein am Rhein stadial), are differentiated. The vast majority of streamlined bedforms occur in fields aligned in a 16- to 30-km-wide swath upstream of the Stein am Rhein frontal moraines. Orientation and elongation of drumlins and glacial lineations set the basis for the reconstruction of paleo-ice flow. Basal flow paths of the LGM maximum advance are visually interpreted and restricted to the zone proximal to the former ice front. The flow field reconstructed for the late LGM glacier readvance (Stein am Rhein stadial) extends tens of kilometres upstream and is modelled implementing a recently published kriging routine. The derived basal flow patterns paired with information on ice surface levels from lateral and frontal moraines and combined with relative ice velocity differences inferred from spatial changes in bedform elongation reveal detailed insights on ice flow geometries, particularly during the glacier readvance. Reconstructed flowlines highlight basal flow under shallow ice that is strongly controlled by local topography evidenced by diverging around basal bumps and converging in (narrow) valley sections and troughs, where basal flow velocities, steered by topography, are high. Gained paleo-ice basal flow patterns offer new insights on landscape evolution of the northern Alpine foreland and provide evidence-based flow data to validate future physical modelling results.     

Glacial Deposition Along an Ice-Contact Slope: An Example from the Southern Lake District, Chile

Glacially derived sediments and structures vary systematically with topographic position along ice-contact slopes near the margin of former temperate piedmont glaciers in the southern Lake District, Chile. Features along lower positions of the slopes include glaciolacustrine sediments and large-scalethrusting. Middle slope features include low-angle subglacial thrusting of thin slices of lacustrine sediment. Upper slope features include high-angle thrusting, and lodgement and flow till. Locally, the same ordering of these features occurs in vertical sequence.
A common theme that unifies the processes represented by these features is the distribution of hydrostatic pressure. Thicker ice (producing higher glacier overburden pressures) and aquicludes of fine-grained sediments toward the center of the basin result in high hydrostatic pressures, whereas thin ice and porous out-wash reduce these pressures at the top of the ice-contact slopes.However, such a distribution cannot completely explain the observed vertical sequences; hence, local variations in hydrostatic pressure because of lithologic contrasts probably play a role. Nowhere along the ice-contact slope are pervasively deformed glacial sediments observed; therefore they cannot be invoked to explain the low glacier profiles of these piedmont glacier lobes.     

Evaluating shallow flow-system response to climate change through analysis of spring deposits in southwestern Wisconsin,USA

Tufa-depositing springs in the southern Driftless Area of Wisconsin, USA, are used to inform the response of shallow and local groundwater flow systems to changes in climate over the last 3,000 years. The springs emanate from a shallow, unconfined, sedimentary bedrock aquifer and at stratigraphic positions similar to a shallow, perched aquifer that was identified in the eastern Driftless Area. The perched aquifer was shown to be stable under current climate conditions and over decadal time scales. This study provides further evidence of the significance of the stratigraphic interval in controlling shallow groundwater flow patterns in the region and in the stability of shallow and local groundwater flow systems over thousands of years. The tufa carbonates in three cores collected from the mounds adjacent to the springs show variations in stable isotope (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O) and elemental (Mg/Ca) values that agree with well-established paleoclimate records for the region, suggesting that the springs were active and depositing tufa in the past, during climate conditions that were similar to the present and during conditions that were drier than the present.