Significance of geomorphological and subsurface drainage controls on failures of peat‐covered hillslopes triggered by extreme rainfall

On 19 September 2003, 40 landslides of 140–18 000 m³ volume occurred within 2·5 km² on the slopes of Dooncarton Mountain (Republic of Ireland) during a storm that may have exceeded 90 mm within 90 minutes. The landslides were investigated to determine the reasons for such a high density of slope failures. All of the landslides were surveyed within four months, and nine of them were investigated in detail. The six largest landslides, all peat failures, accounted for 57% of the more than 100 000 m³ of material displaced during the event. A consistent sequence of superficial materials was found on the failed hillslopes, including an extensive iron pan at the base of a buried soil horizon 0·3 m below the base of the peat. Morphologically, almost all of the landslides occurred on steep planar slopes or around sharp convexities, with the latter failures developing retrogressively upslope. The only significant relationship found from analysis of 371 subsurface pipes and 142 seepage cracks (defined here as contiguous fissures conducting concentrated subsurface flow) across all the failures was that the thinner the peat cover, the deeper the pipes and seepage cracks occurred below the base of peat. It is concluded that most of the landslides were probably caused by a combination of excess water pressures in the buried soil horizon and the thinner overburden of peat or peaty soil associated with the steeper slope segments. Pipes and seepage cracks formed on the iron pan probably existed prior to the failure event and may have contributed to the high water pressures as rainwater inputs exceeded their discharge capacities. One large peat slide was probably triggered by excess water pressures developed within and between artificial tine cuts. The properties of the blanket peat were generally of little consequence in the occurrence of the landslides, but relict desiccation cracks and other structural weaknesses through the peat mass were probably highly significant. Although several aspects of the peat failures correspond to previously published examples, the context of these failures in terms of the topography and upland catena is distinctive. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the importance of non-hydrostatic processes in determining tidally induced mixing in sill regions

The importance of using a non-hydrostatic model to compute tidally induced mixing and flow in the region of a sill is examined using idealized topography representing the sill at the entrance to Loch Etive. This site is chosen since detailed measurements were recently made there. Calculations are performed with and without the inclusion of non-hydrostatic dynamics using a vertical slice model for a range of sill widths corresponding to typical sill regions. Initial non-hydrostatic calculations showed that the model could reproduce the observed flow characteristics in the region. However, when calculations were performed using the model in hydrostatic form, the significant artificial convective mixing that occurred in order to remove density inversions led to excessively high vertical mixing. This influenced the computed temperature field and the intensity of the current jet that separated from the sill on its lee side. In addition it affected the magnitude and spatial characteristics of the lee waves generated on the lee side of the sill. Calculations with a range of sill widths, showed that as the sill width decreased the difference between the solution computed with the non-hydrostatic and hydrostatic model increased.     

'Sediment'–cement relationships in a Pleistocene speleothem from Italy: a possible analogue for 'replacement' cements and Archaeolithoporella in ancient reefs

Ancient carbonate buildups may contain extraordinarily large amounts of early diagenetic precipitates. In some, host rock lamination may be traced into inclusion bands within the 'cement' crystals, suggesting that the crystals are replacive. By analogy with a Pleistocene speleothem from the Sorrento Peninsula, however, these relationships can be explained differently. In the speleothem, large, repeatedly split and dendritic calcite crystals occur within a laminated carbonate. Lamination consists of sub-mm alternations of micrite and microspar. Micritic laminae pass laterally into inclusion-rich growth bands in the dendritic calcite crystals, and have replaced an aragonitic cement, whereas the microspar laminae were primary calcite cements. Three types of inclusion-rich bands occur in the dendrite crystals: (1) with aragonite relicts, (2) 'ribbon calcite' and (3) with oriented micropores. When aragonite precipitated, the calcite dendrite branches were unable to keep growing as single crystals and split into crystallites (separated by micropores, some forming ribbon calcite), whereas during episodes of calcite lamina precipitation, the larger crystals were regenerated by crystallite coalescence. Calcite crystals are primary: they did not replace a micritic precursor. By analogy with the Italian speleothem, some ancient reefal sparry carbonates may not be replacements of earlier laminated sediments, but may have grown concurrently with them. It is also probable that some ancient laminated sediments were instead sea-floor precipitates, and that stromatolites containing cross-cutting crystal fabrics, and the alternating micrite-microspar laminae typical of Archaeolithoporella , could be largely abiotic crystal growths.     

System-wide submerged aquatic vegetation model for Chesapeake Bay

A predictive model of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass is coupled to a eutrophication model of Chesapeake Bay. Domain of the model includes the mainstem of the bay as well as tidal portions of major embayments and tributaries. Three SAV communities are modeled: ZOSTERA, RUPPIA, and FRESHWATER. The model successfully computes the spatial distribution and abundance of SAV for the period 1985–1994. Spatial distribution is primarily determined by computed light attenuation. Sensivitity analysis to reductions in nutrient and solids loads indicates nutrient controls will enhance abundance primarily in areas that presently support SAV. Restoration of SAV to areas in which it does not presently exist requires solids controls, alone or in combination with nutrient controls. For regions in which SAV populations exist at the refuge level or greater, improvements in SAV abundance are expected within 2 to 10 years of load reductions. For regions in which no refuge population exists, recovery time is unpredictable and will depend on propagule supply.     

Import of coastally-derived chlorophylla to South Slough, Oregon

Material transfer between estuaries and the nearshore zone has long been of interest, but information on the processes affecting Pacific Northwest estuaries has lagged behind other areas. The west coast of the U.S. is a region of seasonally variable upwelling that results in enhanced phytoplankton production in the nearshore zone. We examined estuarine-nearshore links over time by measuring physical oceanographic variables and chlorophylla concentration from an anchor station in South Slough, Oregon. Data was collected during 24-h cruises conducted at approximately weekly intervals during summer 1996 and spring 1997. The results demonstrate that the physical oceanography of this estuarine site was strongly influenced by the coastal ocean. Marine water reached the estuarine site on every sampled tide, and chlorophylla was clearly advected into the estuary with this ocean water. In contrast, phytoplankton concentrations were comparatively reduced in the estuarine water. There were, however, large fluctuations in the import of chlorophyll over the course of the summer. These variations likely reflect upwelling-generated phytoplankton production in the coastal ocean and subsequent cross-shelf transport to the estuary. Suspension feeding organisms in South Slough likely depend on the advection of this coastally-derived phytoplankton. The large allochthonous chlorophyll input measured for this system appears dissimilar from most estuaries studied to date. Previous investigations have focused on the outwelling and inwelling of materials in estuaries. We must now consider the influence of coastal upwelling and downwelling processes on estuarine material exchange.     

Aseismio fault slip and block deformation in North China

In North China, the tectonic fault-block system enables us to use the Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) method to simulate the long-term cross-fault survey and other geodetic data related to aseismic tectonic deformation. By the simulation we have found that: (1) Slips on faults with different orientation are generally in agreement with the ENE-WSW tectonic stress field, but the slip pattern of faulting can vary from nearly orthogonal, to pure shear along the strike of the faults, this pattern cannot be explained by simple geometric relation between the strike of the fault and the direction of the tectonic shortening. This phenomenon has been observed at many sites of cross-fault geodetic surveys, and might be caused by the interactions between different blocks and faults. (2) According to the DDA model, if the average aseismic slip rate along major active faults is at the order of several tenths of millimeter per year as observed by the cross-fault geodetic surveys, the typical strain rate inside a block is at the order of 10^–8 year^–1 or less, so that the rate of 10^–6 year^–1, as reported by observations in smaller areas, cannot be the representative deformation rate in this region. (3) Between the slips caused by regional compression and block rotation, there is a possibility that the sense of slip caused by rigid body rotation in two adjacent blocks is opposite to the slip caused by the tectonic compression. But the magnitude of slip resulting from the tectonic compression is much larger than that due to the block rotation. Thus, in general, the slip pattern on faults as a whole agrees with the sense of tectonic compression in this region. That is to say, the slip caused by regional compression dominates the entire slip budget. (4) Based on (3), some observed slips in contradiction to ENE tectonic stress field may be caused by more localized sources, and have no tectonic significance.     

Tropical soils could dominate the short-term carbon cycle feedbacks to increased global temperatures

Results of a simple model of the effects of temperature on net ecosystem production call into question the argument that the large stocks of soil carbon and greater projected warming in the boreal and tu ndra regions of the world willlead to rapid efflux of carbon from these biomes to the atmosphere. We show that low rates of carbon turnover in these regions and a relatively greater response of net primary production to changes in temperature may lead to carbon storage over some limited range of warming. In contrast, the high rates of soil respiration found in tropical ecosystems are highly sensitive to small changes in temperature, so that despite the less pronounced warming expected in equatorial regions, tropical soils are likely to release relatively large amounts of carbon to the atmosphere. Results for high-latitude biomes are highly sensitive to parameter values used, while the net efflux of carbon from the tropics appears robust.     

Volcanic geology and eruption frequency,lower east rift zone of Kilauea volcano,Hawaii

Detailed geologic mapping and radiocarbon dating of tholeiitic basalts covering about 275 km² on the lower east rift zone (LERZ) and adjoining flanks of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, show that at least 112 separate eruptions have occurred during the past 2360 years. Eruptive products include spatter ramparts and cones, a shield, two extensive lithic-rich tuff deposits, aa and pahoehoe flows, and three littoral cones. Areal coverage, number of eruptions and average dormant interval estimates in years for the five age groups assigned are: (I) historic, i.e. A D 1790 and younger: 25%, 5, 42.75; (II) 200–400 years old: 50%, 15, 14.3: (III) 400–750 years old: 20%, 54, 6.6; (IV) 750–1500 years old: 5%, 37, 20.8; (V) 1500–3000 years old: <1%, 1, unknown. At least 4.5–6 km³ of tholeiitic basalt have been erupted from the LERZ during the past 1500 years. Estimated volumes of the exposed products of individual eruptions range from a few tens of cubic meters for older units in small kipukas to as much as 0.4 km³ for the heiheiahulu shield. The average dormant interval has been about 13.6 years during the past 1500 years. The most recent eruption occurred in 1961, and the area may be overdue for its next eruption. However, eruptive activity will not resume on the LERZ until either the dike feeding the current eruption on the middle east rift zone extends farther down rift, or a new dike, unrelated to the current eruption, extends into the LERZ.